In Good Company from The Cedars Retirement Community

 

As I get to know the many, wonderful members at The Atrium at The Cedars in my role as Marketing Representative, I frequently find myself surprised by what I hear.  Members often explain their reasons for choosing our retirement community: proximity to downtown Portland, sense of security from our continuum of care, or relief from the burden of home ownership.  Once they arrive, although they may have expected the warm welcome from our community, they are often amazed to find themselves developing new friendships. Real, true friendships with peers who share their stories, provide fellowship and offer support.  It seems that this facet of their lives, this idea of relishing the company of friends, was a book already read and returned to the shelf.

Once our members at have an opportunity to live without the worries and difficulties that come with aging, the possibilities of living a fuller life resurface. I often hear of the interests that seniors used to be involved with, and at The Cedars they find rekindled pursuits – whether it’s painting, playing bridge, strength training, or enjoying a glass of wine at the end of the day with friends.

I think that the older we get and the more we evolve, the less we expect from life. This perspective, to a great extent, brings us more peace – letting go of the stresses of our youth.  And in looking at our members, I’m sure they would agree, with an exception: we should never give up on the comforts of friendship – no matter how old we get.

For more information on The Cedars community, contact June O’Neill, Marketing Representative at 207-221-7100.

Movie Theater Opening at The Atrium at The Cedars

Theater Opening 3On March 18, the members and staff at The Atrium, independent living at The Cedars, celebrated the grand opening of their new movie theater at a ribbon cutting ceremony. “You’ve exceeded our expectations!” one member exclaimed. Members of our community are thrilled to be offered a variety of current films, three times daily, seven days per week, in such a comfortable setting. The only issue they expressed was the challenge of fitting so many wonderful programs and events into their already busy days! Now that’s a good problem to have. For more information on life at The Atrium, contact our marketing representative at 207-221-7100.

 

 

Sharing the Impact of Arts Programming at The Cedars

 

20151022_151938Angie Hunt, Chief Operating Officer at The Cedars, brought her expertise and enthusiasm for therapeutic arts to the Indiana State Department of Health Conference this fall. Cutting edge arts programming has made a big difference for dementia patients at The Cedars. Opening Minds Through Art, a new collaboration with students from the Maine College of Art and the University of Southern Maine Occupational Therapy department, and our ongoing Music and Memory program, are two of the ways The Cedars reduces the need for antipsychotic medications and increases quality of life.

Angie shared ways for other facilities to develop similar programs and ensure their sustainability and success.

Blue Ribbon Health at The Atrium

The Atrium has increased our commitment to our members at The Atrium to provide more opportunities for health and wellness than ever before. We started by establishing baseline strength, flexibility and balance assessments for our members and then jumped into twelve weeks of customized classes.

Sarah Bartell, our Wellness Coordinator, teaches strength training, water aerobics, balance training, and we bring in specialists in Tai Chi, Yoga, and Zumba.  The first round of Wellness re-assessments are in, and they are amazing! Our members have worked so hard and it shows. See the results below!

Exercise Class Participation: UP 14%
Lower Body Strength: UP 50%
Upper Body Strength: UP 23%
Aerobic Capacity: UP 20%
Upper Body Flexibility: UP 25%
Lower Body Flexibility: UP 50%
Agility: UP 15%
Balance: UP 400%

For more information on life and wellness at The Atrium, contact us at 207-221-7100.

 

 

Happy Hanukkah

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The Cedars wishes you
a blessed and joyful Hanukkah

The Cedars Awarded for Wellness

Wellness Award 3The Cedars was honored for our community wellness program on October 9 by the Healthy Portland, part of Healthy Maine Partnerships. The Healthy Portland Worksite Wellness Recognition event recognized The Cedars and nine other local businesses for their wellness accomplishments. Awardees shared their greatest worksite wellness achievements and organizations shared their many creative program ideas.

For almost ten years, The Cedars has focused on wellness for our residents and staff. In 2012 we received the Health Innovator Award from Harvard Pilgrim for our many employee programs. And our ongoing fitness classes at The Atrium and The Osher Inn have recently revealed amazing results, including a 400% increase in balance among that population following a 12 week course geared towards strength, flexibility and balance. For more information on life at The Cedars, contact our Marketing Representative at 221-7100.

Other 2015 award recipients include:
City of Portland
University of Southern Maine
cPort Credit Union
Cumberland County Government
Oakhurst Dairy
Maine Medical Center
MaineHealth
University of New England