Maine Jewish Film Festival: Free Senior Screening

The Cedars is pleased to continue sponsoring the MJFF’s Free Senior Screening. This year, the documentary, Essential Link: The Story of Wilfred Israel will show at the Portland Museum of Art on Wednesday, March 13 at 2PM. Dessert reception to follow. There is no cost for seniors to attend, but you must get tickets by calling the MJFF at 207-523-3422 or emailing filmfest@mjff.org.

Here is the scoop: The Essential Link: The Story of Wilfred Israel / Documentary / 2016 / Israel / Hebrew, German w/ Eng ST / 82 min

Documentary / Dir: Sam Pollard / USA / 2017 / 100 min Free Senior Film

Why is the story of retail businessman Wilfred Israel, who saved 15 times more people than Oskar Schindler, largely unknown? The owner of Berlins largest department store played a key role in the Kindertransport program and helped save tens of thousands of Jews . Filmmaker Yonatan Nir (My Hero Brother – MJFF 2017) takes us on a revealing journey into Wilfrid Israels life and the reasons for his disappearance from history.

For information about living options at The Cedars and The Atrium independent living at The Cedars, contact us at 207-221-7100.

 

Stressful to Successful: Downsizing Seminar

After many years of living in the same home, Downsizing can be a very real dilemma for many – especially those who are considering a move to a retirement community. In fact, the reason many people don’t take action is that they don’t know what to do with their all of their ‘stuff’!

To help overcome some of the stress of downsizing, The Atrium is offering a free seminar: “Stressful To Successful:  Helping Parents Downsize”.  It’s taking place on Wednesday, February 27, from 5-6 pm. Angie D’Amours, Marketing Representative will offer tips to anyone who may be working with someone who wants to declutter, or who would like to declutter themselves, so that they can easily make a move to a more worry-free, secure home with opportunities for growth and community.

Join The Cedars to start the conversation: working toward a common goal, deciding what to keep, and how to donate or dispose of what they no longer need. Q&A to follow.
FMI and RSVP please call 207-221-7100.

Researching Bold New Ideas with the Portland Wheelers

The Cedars Learning Community™ Continues to Advance Senior Care

DO YOU REMEMBER THE RUSH of freedom that filled you the first time you rode a bike? Residents at The Cedars were able to revisit that feeling as part of a new research project on mental health in collaboration with the University of Southern Maine graduate program in Occupational Therapy and the Portland Wheelers.

The Portland Wheelers are familiar faces on our campus. These hardy cyclists volunteer to take mobility-challenged seniors on regular rides on specially equipped tandem bikes. While these rides are always popular at The Cedars, the students at USM were looking for a correlation between regular rides and improvements in depression (a common affliction in later life). A positive correlation would encourage other senior living communities to offer similar programs.

For the purposes of this research study, seniors with a history of depression were treated to regular rides over the course of six weeks. They completed an eight-point survey prior to and after each ride. The Cedars clinical staff also performed an evaluation based on the Geriatric Depression Scale, which measures externally observable changes in key indicators.

The program also provided Mood and Behavior assessment data gathered on all residents each quarter as required by federal regulations. The results were promising. Residents felt the rides were time well spent 99% of the time, and declared the ride enjoyable 93% of the time. Resident moods did show improvement after the rides and neither a patient’s age or level of dementia seemed to affect their perceptions. Almost all riders showed fewer indicators for depression after completing the Portland Wheelers program. While this sample size will not support speculation about the durability of the effects or allow generalization to a larger resident population, these promising results reinforce the value of this program and our commitment to researching advances in
healthy aging!

For more information on Life Enrichment at The Cedars, contact Nick Viti, OTR/L, Life Enrichment Manager at 221-7000.

 

Rehabilitation Therapy at The Cedars Senior Living Community

Rehab TeamAre you anticipating a short-term, inpatient rehabilitation stay in the near future?  If so, The Cedars Rehabilitation Team would like to provide you with some insight into the experience.

As patients enter the rehabilitation process, we recognize that they are not feeling as “whole” as they had been; they’re suffering a loss of health and may be uncertain about putting trust into the rehabilitation team.  This key team consists of physical, occupational and speech therapists, nursing staff, dietician, physician and care coordinators who are all there to assess your needs and arrange a treatment plan with you.  The medical staff largely focuses your medical issues – the reason you were admitted to the hospital. While the therapists concentrate on helping you get back to “doing.”

Sometimes returning to your prior level of activity comes in phases where you need to learn compensatory strategies during an interim period.  For instance, as some patients heal from surgery they need to avoid bearing weight on one leg, and the therapists teach you tools to help be as independent as possible. 

These therapy sessions are a wonderful opportunity.  Patients learn home exercise programs and healthy habits.  Family members who are providing assistance at home will also be part of the therapy as well.  And we’ve had some patients who work specifically on regaining the ability to return to a favorite hobby or activity.  One patient focused on arm and shoulder exercises so he could reach the plants in the greenhouse where he lives at The Atrium at The Cedars.  And another worked with Occupational Therapy through a hand injury to re-learn how to play the piano.

At The Cedars Rehabilitation Center, we strongly believe that the most successful rehabilitation experiences come from patients who “self-advocate” by sharing with the team what they need to become “whole” again.  For more information on short-term rehabilitation please contact Brian DesPres, Manager of Rehabilitation Services at bdespres@thecedarsportland.org.org or 207-221-7000.

 

Are You Ready to Live 100 Years?

Tips from Kathryn Callnan, The Cedars President and CEO, on active, healthy, rewarding aging.

Drawing from her life experience as a nurse and as the leader of the largest not-for-profit senior living community in northern New England, Kathy offers her best advice on preparing for and making the most of your later years:

  • Plan on living to the age of 100.
    Find the best providers for healthcare, rehabilitation, long-term care and assisted living. Decide where you would like to receive care in the event you are hospitalized.
  • Don’t assume that you’ll always be able to live at home.
    Determine if you will be happier and better cared for at home with services or by moving to a community. Then do your research, tour communities and get on a waiting list.
  • Talk with your children and let them know what you want before something happens.
    Do you want to live near them or stay where you are?
    Where would you want to receive care should you need it?

Senator Collins Celebrates Groundbreaking at The Cedars

Portland, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the Chairman of the Aging Committee, delivered remarks at The Cedars Retirement Community’s groundbreaking ceremony in Portland.  Cedars is starting a new project that will accommodate the evolution of the care model towards the household model of care delivery and private rooms for residents.

“For nearly 90 years, The Cedars has helped Maine seniors live their lives to the fullest,” said Senator Collins during her remarks.  “From independent and assisted living to rehabilitation and skilled nursing care, expert staff and dedicated supporters have upheld the traditional values of community while responding to emerging needs and advancement in care.”

“Working together, in Washington and in communities across the nation, we are building a shared vision for aging that is centered on health, wellness, and community,” continued Senator Collins.  “Thank you for your dedication to this important cause.”

“We are thrilled to have Senator Collins with us today to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Sam L. Cohen Households at The Cedars. As a long-standing advocate for seniors and healthcare in our State, she understands the challenges of our expanding, older population,” said Kathryn Callnan, President and CEO of The Cedars.  “The Household Model will help The Cedars address the work-force crisis and create home for seniors by dramatically expanding our ability to provide innovative, person-centered care.”

The project will convert existing rooms from semi-private to private, which will displace 40 beds.  Those beds will be added to the new building, along with 20 more beds in what is described as an “assisted living memory care household.”  The shift to private rooms will be made by creating “houses” of 20 beds each.

The Cedars is a comprehensive not-for-profit senior living community that offers a full continuum of senior living options for every stage of life, including Independent Living, Assisted Living, Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Care.

As the Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, Senator Collins has been a strong advocate for our nation’s seniors.  Last year, Senator Collins chaired a series of Committee hearings to examine the growing epidemic of isolation and loneliness on older Americans. 

In addition to this serious problem, Senator Collins secured a $425 million increase for Alzheimer’s research in the funding bill for the upcoming fiscal year.

A Bold View: A Spectacular House Party Sends an Important Message About Home

A thrilling view of the Maine coast—and a thought-provoking point-of-view on aging—captivated guests at The Cedars End-of-Summer Cocktail Party, hosted by Marjorie and Robert Ory on September 27.

 

THE ORYS, LONGTIME FRIENDS OF The Cedars, divide their time between Boston and a stunning oceanfront home in Kennebunkport. In 2003, when Marge’s mother became a resident at The Cedars, they became strong supporters of our innovative programs.
Knowing that the Grow Bold With Us campaign is poised to transform not only The Cedars but the standard of senior care statewide, they generously opened their Kennebunkport residence to offer family and friends from York County a first-hand preview of the exciting advances ahead.

Guests received the warmest of welcomes from their hosts and representatives from The Cedars were on hand to share a look into some exciting advances in aging.

AN ENTIRE INDUSTRY COMES HOME
Kathryn Callnan, President and CEO, described the Household Model of care. Seniors of today and tomorrow do not want the institutional model of care their parents and grand-parents experienced. The Cedars has commited to creating a true home where every aspect of care is completely customized to each resident. Kathryn explained how empowering it is for staff to train for multiple roles in order to support the daily, in-the-moment decisions our seniors make about how to live their lives, the same way we all do in our own homes.

GETTING HOME FASTER Angela Hunt, Chief Operating Officer at The Cedars, shared how the Rehabilitation Center at The Cedars continues to develop ways to speed seniors on the road to recovery:

  • Our Five-Day Intensive Therapy Program for younger joint replacement patients provides a wide range of therapies seven days a week, 365 days a year.
  • For patients with greater health challenges, our advances in medically complex care continues to set The Cedars apart. The Cedars is the first and only rehabilitation program in Maine to offer cardiopulmonary telemetry monitoring, supporting seniors with cardiac disease.
  • The first skilled nursing facility in Maine to provide peritoneal dialysis, The Cedars offers this less invasive, more convenient treatment alternative to hemodialysis.

AGING WELL
Brian DesPres, Director of Rehabilitation Services, shared his insights into active aging with the Top Fitness Trends for 2019. The big takeaway? No matter how you do it, just keep moving! Brian urged guests to find their passion and stick with it to get the most energy and enjoyment from our later lives.

The Cedars is grateful to the Orys for the opportunity to share their groundbreaking vision for future of senior care.

Mindful Connections: An Innovative, Community-Based, Therapeutic Program at The Cedars

Mindful ConnectionsFor seniors in the early stages of memory loss still living at home, Mindful Connections provides powerful, personalized therapy to preserve independence, cognitive function, and hope.

BY THE AGE OF 60, between 5 and 7 percent of people will suffer from some form of memory loss. By the age of 85, 50 percent will show symptoms of cognitive impairment, usually diagnosed as Alzheimer’s Disease. Whether it affects us or someone we love, dementia will touch all our lives—but The Cedars believes it should not define our lives.

It’s a bold view, and it is true: people with memory loss have the ability to lead rich lives and make valuable contributions to their community.

Our newest community-based program, Mindful Connections, proves this every day. Using forward-thinking therapies rooted in research and best practices and customized for each patient’s unique life experiences and personal preferences, we support seniors with memory loss as they learn to live in the moment with strength, purpose, and joy.

“Because dementia can accelerate physical and mental decline, The Cedars holistic approach to treatment spans the six dimensions of wellness: physical, intellectual, occupational, social, spiritual, and emotional. Designed for seniors in the early stages of memory loss still living independently, Mindful Connections provides resources and respite for caregivers while enhancing health and offering hope to clients.

A PHILOSOPHY OF POSITIVITY

 Mindful Connections, as well as our upcoming Memory Care Assisted Living, are both built on a powerful philosophy—the Positive Approach to Care (PAC), developed by internationally recognized occupational therapist, Teepa Snow.

PAC prioritizes smart, compassionate responses to the realities of memory loss. Staff learn personalized strategies to form trusting relationships with clients—ways of responding to difficult situations that are supportive and successful. PAC recognizes that a person with dementia is doing the best that they can and if something isn’t working, the caregiver must change their approach. PAC also teaches heightened environmental awareness, encourages flexible and creative thinking, and supports authentic personal connections between clients and providers.

 MINDFUL OF POTENTIAL

Each client receives a thorough evaluation from an experienced, PAC-certified Occupational Therapist. Assessments include in-depth interviews with family members and caregivers, standard evaluation tools, and skilled personal observations to determine the level of assistance each client will need to live productively in their community.

Some seniors in the program may benefit from a course of specialized rehabilitation therapy to address underlying issues such as balance or strength, speech and cognition, and the activities of daily living. The coping strategies learned in these sessions can do so much toward helping seniors with dementia and their caregivers feel safe in their chosen living situation.

CONNECTIONS WITH COMMUNITY

The heart of the Mindful Connections community-based program is the Wellness Group, a gathering of a small group of seniors and their PAC-certified practitioner, with expertise in therapeutic recreation. While every member of the group has a customized treatment plan, seniors join together to share a specialized exercise program in the rehabilitation gym, engaging activities to preserve cognition and spark purpose and pleasure, and social interactions—meals, discussions, and more—that forge real friendships.

“The Wellness Group is wonderful,” says one member of Mindful Connections. “A diagnosis of memory loss can be so isolating. My friends in the Wellness Group understand exactly how I feel and we are working through this challenge together.”

To learn how The Cedars can help you or someone you love make Mindful Connections during memory loss, contact the Program Coordinator at 207-221-7163 or email mindfulconnections@thecedarsportland.org.

The Cedars Celebrates Groundbreaking for the Sam L. Cohen Households

The Cedars welcomed our community to join us in commemorating a powerful and pivotal moment in the Grow Bold With Us Campaign.

THE DAY BEFORE the groundbreaking ceremony for the much-anticipated Sam L. Cohen Households, construction crews arrived at The Cedars to begin tearing down a building set on the corner of our campus, clearing the way for the construction to come. By the time honored guests, supporters, community members, staff, and residents arrived on September 21, enormous excavators surrounded the crisp white event tent. The air was charged with excitement, optimism, and change. After so much hope and hard work, the first senior living community to implement the Household Model in Maine and New England was about to be the first to construct a residence specifically designed to be a true home for seniors.

CREATING HOME

Long before The Cedars broke ground for this innovative new building, our staff laid the groundwork to implement a new way of supporting seniors in their later years: the Household Model of care.

“Seniors of today and tomorrow don’t want the model of care experienced by their parents and grandparents,” Kathryn Callnan, President and CEO of The Cedars, told guests. “They want rich experiences. Choices. A home environment. The Cedars has always understood that seniors want privacy, autonomy, and the ability to make daily decisions about how they wish to live their lives even though they are no longer able to live independently at home.”

The Cedars staff has spent the last two years training for and implementing the Household Model of care. Thanks in part to the generosity of the Sam L. Cohen Foundation, they will soon have a space designed to support it.

COMING HOME

The Cedars has always practiced person-centered care, and for the past 24 months has provided specialized training to dramatically shift the way staff gives care towards a person-directed model. However, completely implementing the Household Model requires building a radically different kind of space – one with distinct hallmarks of home. Private rooms and bathrooms. Welcoming common areas, like a kitchen that is always open and stocked with favorite foods. A front door, with a doorbell, that chimes a clear signal: this a private home for people living rich and meaningful lives.

The Sam L. Cohen Foundation’s contribution has helped to fund the construction of this cutting-edge residence to honor the late Sam Cohen’s many connections to The Cedars, his lifelong legacy of philanthropy, and most of all, his legendary love of gathering with family and friends.

BOLD SOLUTIONS FOR BIG CHALLENGES

The Groundbreaking Ceremony featured national and local political figures as well, as the Households have significance for seniors far beyond Maine’s shores. As the nation’s population rapidly ages, the demand for skilled healthcare workers and personalized senior living continues to grow. At this critical point, The Cedars has taken the lead—proposing bold initiatives for workforce development and training, partnerships for research and learning, and new living options for our later years.

After all, Maine has the oldest population in the nation. The “silver tsunami” will hit this state particularly hard and our elected representatives are keenly aware that now is the time to act.

The ceremony’s keynote speaker, Senator Susan Collins continues to be one of the country’s most reliable advocates for seniors. As chair of the Senate Special Committee on Aging and co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease, she has worked to increase funding for Alzheimer’s research and to strengthen support for family caregivers. Senator Collins has met over the past few years with John Watson, Chief Financial Officer at The Cedars, to discuss specific long-term care legislation and most recently review Medicaid funding considerations critical to Maine’s poor elderly in advance of the historic health care vote. Senator Collins spoke passionately of the potential for this model of care to transform how we age in Maine—and beyond.

 

“For nearly 90 years, The Cedars has helped Maine seniors live their lives to the fullest… working together, in Washington, D.C. and in communities across the nation, we are building a shared vision for aging that is centered on health, wellness and community.” – SENATOR SUSAN COLLINS

A NEW LEVEL OF CARE

 In addition to the two skilled care Households, The Sam L. Cohen Households will provide the newest level of person-centered care at The Cedars—Memory Care Assisted Living.

The Cedars knows that people with memory loss can engage in meaningful activities, make decisions about how they want to spend their days, and participate in their own health and wellness. At The Cedars, they will.

Each resident will receive a thoughtful evaluation and strengths-based assessment from dedicated staff trained in the Teepa Snow Model of Postive Care. Caregivers will provide positive, powerful therapies designed to respond to changing abilities and personalized to each resident’s Life Story.

Innovative programs will be offered on a daily basis to promote choice, preserve dignity, and respect individuality—always putting the person first. In addition to a full calendar of group activities, staff will provide spontaneous activities—day and night—to meet in-the-moment needs for social engagement, self-expression and mindful connections.

“Our new Memory Care Assisted Living Household for seniors with more advanced memory loss will help preserve cognitive function and, most importantly, independence,” Kathryn Callnan assured guests. “We can make a promise to our community: when you come to live at The Cedars, you have come home.”

To learn how you can support bold new initiatives for seniors, call the Development Office at 207-221-7007 or email development@thecedarsportland.org.