Best Retirement Community: Taking Care of Our Hearts

Posted by Katharine

 

Health and Wellness: Taking Care of Our Hearts 

February is Health Healthy Month and a great opportunity to take inventory of our heart wellness.  As we age our hearts become less efficient and have to work harder to pump the blood.  Here are several ways we can promote heart health taken from livestrong.com. If you have any questions about healthy living, stop in and see Sharon Leddy-Smart Lifestyle Coordinator at The Atrium at The Cedars. 

Exercise: Exercise is related to your cardiovascular health, and as an older person it’s important for you to be active. Exercise 30 minutes daily, even breaking it into three 10-minute sessions. Even moderate exercise, such as brisk walking 30 minutes daily, provides many benefits to your heart health.
Exercise can improve circulation, help you lose weight, aid in smoking
cessation, improve blood cholesterol levels, help manage stress, reduce coronary heart disease in women by 30 to 40 percent, and reduce risk of stroke by 20 percent in moderately active people and 27 percent in highly active people. 

Eat Well: No matter what age you are, you can eat according to the American Heart Association guidelines to aid your heart. Consume at least 4.5 cups of fruits and vegetables daily; two 3.5-oz. servings of fish weekly; two 1-oz. servings of fiber-rich whole grains daily; four servings a week of nuts, legumes, and seeds; less than 1,500 mg of sodium daily; no more than 450 calories of sugar-sweetened beverages a week; and no more than two servings of processed meat a week. Saturated fat should be less than 7 percent of your total calories daily. 

Manage Your Blood Sugar: Diabetes, or increased blood sugar that is not controlled, can lead to cardiovascular problems like atherosclerosis. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes may increase with age, and complications from diabetes can be more severe. Diet and medications can be very effective in managing your blood sugar, so get a checkup regularly.

 Take Your Prescribed Medications: Don’t stop taking your medications. Your doctor prescribed them for a reason, and many of them may be keeping your heart healthy. The risk for heart attacks, strokes and heart failure becomes higher if you stop taking medications for your heart.

Flu Season at The Cedars: Keeping Our Community Well

Posted by Katharine

Susan Dionne-Jones, Director of Nursing at The Cedars

With the flu season in full swing, The Cedars residents and staff are well equipped with their vaccinations and the enforcement of a community-wide regime of excellent hygiene through frequent hand washing and good respiratory etiquette.  Until the season behind us, The Cedars asks that visitors and staff who are showing any signs of cough, fever or congestion to stay home for 24 to 48 hours after their symptoms have resolved.

To stay ahead of the flu season curve, The Cedars Director of Nursing, Susan Dionne-Jones has been in frequent contact with the Maine Center for Disease Control as well as local hospitals for updates.  To protect yourself and others, we recommend:

  • Washing your hands often with warm, soapy water
  • Keeping your hands away from your face
  • When you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth with a tissue or your upper sleeve or elbow
  • Do your best to stay at home if you have cough, fever or congestion

Open House at The Cedars

Posted by Katharine

Please join us for an opportunity to talk with our members

and tour our community.

Wednesday February 13, 2012

FMI call 207-221-7100

Best Retirement Community: Living Well with Diabetes

Posted by Katharine

Health and Wellness: November is Diabetes Awareness Month

by Dianne Vigue, Resident Wellness Manager at The Osher Inn, assisted living at The Cedars

Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced.  This high blood sugar produces the classical symptoms of frequent urination, frequent thirst and increased hunger.

                There are two main types of diabetes that affect seniors.  Type I results from the body’s failure to produce insulin and requires the individual to inject insulin or wear and insulin pump.   Type II results from insulin resistance, a condition in which cells fail to use insulin properly, which used to be called “non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus”.  Both are chronic conditions and their accompanying complications can be treated and kept under control with the proper medications, diet, and exercise.  Diagnosis is determined by your medical practitioner through a simple blood test.

There are several components to a successful diabetes self-management plan.  Hebrew Senior Life and Harvard Medical School suggest the following:

  1. Monitoring blood glucose levels regularly – This helps patients know how much food to eat, how much exercise to get, and how much medication, including      insulin, to take, as well as helping them feel more in control of their disease.
  2. Following a well-balanced meal plan – Different foods affect blood glucose      levels, so planning meals is important. A dietitian can help create personalized meal plans designed to help control blood glucose levels.
  3. Exercising regularly  – 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week can improve blood glucose levels of older adults.
  4. Taking medications as prescribed – Medications, both oral and injectable, are key to controlling diabetes, and they should be taken exactly as they are prescribed by a physician.
  5. Losing weight – Nearly 90 percent of diabetics are overweight; studies have shown that weight loss is an essential element in controlling blood glucose levels.
  6. Checking feet daily – Diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage) can cause cuts, sores and blisters to go unnoticed. Because they heal more slowly in people with diabetes, the risk of infection is greater.
  7. Visiting your health-care team regularly – Regular visits to a primary care      physician and an endocrinologist (a diabetes specialist) can help monitor      disease progression and modify disease treatment and management plans. In      addition, people with diabetes should see an eye doctor annually and a dentist every six months.

See What Makes Us Shine!

Posted by Katharine

Holiday Tea and Tour at The Atrium at The Cedars

Thursday December 13th, 2012

For more information please call 207-221-7100

Best Retirement Community: Therapy Award for The Cedars

Posted by Katharine

Angie Hunt, Director at The Cedars and Lisa Clark, Occupational Therapist

The Cedars Retirement Community incorporates wellness into all that we do – for our staff, members and residents.  One of our newest outpatient programs, Living Well With Dementia offered from our Sam L. Cohen Rehabilitation Center, is gaining increased recognition.  This past weekend, the Maine Occupational Therapy Association (MeOTA), honored our Angie Hunt with their OT Advocate Award, specifically for the work she has done to create Living Well With Dementia.  Angie is the Executive Director of the Assisted Living, Rehabilitation Center and Skilled Care at The Cedars.

Here is the letter that was submitted by Lisa Clark, Program Coordinator of Living Well With Dementia, to MeOTA:

Angie (Hunt) is a physical therapist who is the Executive Director of The Cedars in Portland, Maine.  The Cedars is a retirement community that offers a continuum of senior living options for elders: Independent Living, Assisted Living, Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Care.  The Cedars’ philosophy revolves around caring for people in the areas of intellectual, leisure, physical, social, and spiritual health.

Over the past two years Angie has worked with occupational therapists in leading the development of a Living Well With Dementia program at The Cedars – an innovative outpatient wellness program for people with dementia.  As Angie has facilitated this project and helped bring it to fruition, she has tirelessly advocated for and recognized the contributions of occupational therapy.  She has recognized and encouraged the development of the program from the perspective of the occupational therapy philosophy.  Angie has valued the importance of occupational therapy’s emphasis on engagement, meaningfulness, and participation in life activities that are the hallmark of our profession.  She holds a strong value of person-centered and ethical care, which makes working with her very rewarding.

Angie’s support of and recognition of occupational therapy has been propelled forward by her incredible energy, upbeat attitude and respect for the importance of the quality of life of elders.  Her smile and laugh and contagious positive attitude have all been key contributions in the development of this program.   I labeled her my “Yes, let’s do it” Boss!  She has honored the profession of occupational therapy by her strong recognition of its significance in our current health care arena, and put it to use in a unique, creative, and valuable program.

I am deeply appreciative of Angie’s embracing this viewpoint in our work together.  In thirty years of practice, I have met few people who have her respectful and engaging collaborative style of energizing leadership. There are few people in the state who demonstrate and express the worth of our profession, more enthusiastically than Angie.  I hope she is honored for her hard work by being chosen for this award.

Respectfully submitted,

Lisa L. Clark, MS, OTR/L

 

Best Retirement Community: COPD Awareness

Posted by Katharine

Since November is COPD Awareness Month, the nurses and therapists at The Cedars would like to share some easy tips on ways we can make life easier for someone suffering from this disease.

COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, is an incurable disease that affects the lungs and other parts of our body.  The main cause of COPD is cigarette smoke, as well as work-related exposure to inhaled substances.  People suffering from COPD have difficulty breathing, primarily due to the fact that their lungs have lost elasticity, which makes inhaling and exhaling very difficult.  In addition, increased mucus in the lungs and the body’s decreased ability to transfer oxygen into our blood combine to make it the third leading cause of death in our country.

If you know someone with COPD, here are some suggestions for ways to ease their burden, directly from Deborah Leader, RN at About.com Guide:

  1.  Help Them Quit Smoking.  And if you smoke, don’t smoke inside the house or anywhere near someone with COPD.
  2. Avoid Wearing Heavily-Scented Beauty Products.  Perfumes, hairsprays, body lotions with heavy scents can irritate their already inflamed lungs.
  3. Know What To Do During Breathing Emergencies. Exacerbation of COPD is usually accompanied by difficulty breathing.  Here are guidelines for when to call the doctor.
  4. Encourage Regular Exercise. Exercise helps people with COPD to feel stronger – start slowly and work your way up to longer periods.
  5. Prepare Healthy Meals and Snacks. To help boost energy and ease breathing, diets rich in fruits and vegetables will help.  Here are guidelines for a healthy COPD diet.
  6. Promote Energy Conservation.  Because people with COPD are literally drained of their energy, limiting energy use by staying on one floor, or keeping certain items within reach, will help.
  7. Allow the Running of the Fan or Air Conditioner. Many people with COPD find that air blowing directly on them makes their breathing easier. 
  8. Use Non-Toxic Cleaning Products. Harsh fumes can aggravate symptoms.  Be sure there is enough ventilation when cleaning.
  9. Improve Your Indoor Air.  Air purifiers with HEPA filters can help immensely, as well as getting rid of other chemicals often found in homes.  Here are some helpful guidelines for improving indoor air quality.
  10. Help Spread COPD Awareness. Learn more about the disease, treatment and prevention here.