Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Atrium, Featured.
Active Aging. Many of us may have heard of this term and may be asking ourselves – what is it, does it refer to me, and how would I get started? A recent article, in clarifying what’s behind Active Aging, challenges us to view aging from this perspective: accept the inevitable, embrace it, and make it work for you. Aging, of course, is a privilege – as one of my favorite octogenarians has said with each passing birthday, “It’s better than the alternative!” With this privilege comes the opportunity of seizing each moment and treating it as a gift – not just letting life happen. How would we go about doing this? Start with the following four concepts, and see how it goes: Use it or lose it: exercise your body, mind or spirit. At communities like The Atrium at The Cedars, residents choose from multiple exercise options, lectures and...
Posted in our blog on by Angie& filed under Featured.
Many of us have the opportunity to visit a parent or grandparent at their home in an assisted living or skilled care community like The Cedars. We may see them frequently, if they live nearby, or only on occasion if they’re out of state. Either way, we want to make the most of the these get togethers – and revisiting fond memories can bring lots of smiles to everyone. Reminiscence Therapy is a wonderful way to enhance quality of life through laughter, sharing and feelings of acceptance. This can be a great thing to do while visiting a loved one at The Cedars. Even someone with moderate dementia may remember what her wedding dress looked like, their high school prom, they’re military days, or where he liked to go fishing. Reminiscence Therapy can: Increase and strengthen normal, healthy abilities and life skills Promote social interaction and skills Increase self esteem Reinforce mental status...
“Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of our souls.” –PLATO This week is National Assisted Living Week, an annual event sponsored by the National Center for Assisted Living. This year’s theme, The Magic of Music, celebrates the music we’ve all created, played, listened to and enjoyed throughout our lives. Throughout the week the residents at The Osher Inn at The Cedars will play games, sing and listen to their favorite melodies as guests share their music with us. Music is such as powerful force that brings evokes feelings of love, comfort, joy and memories of days gone by. For people with memory issues, several studies have demonstrated the soothing effects of music and the ability to bring those precious memories back. We hope you’ll embrace music this week as we honor our residents, staff, volunteers, and families – and embrace all that music brings to our...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Featured.
Reasons to Move to a Retirement Community Every day, during our conversations with the seniors considering a move to The Atrium at The Cedars, we hear a number of reasons why they haven’t taken action yet. The ones listed below we hear most often, and if we had a nickel for each time I heard them……well, you know the rest! “I’m healthy.” Great news – you are the perfect candidate for Independent Living! And even better news, our community offers tai chi, yoga, strength training, an indoor pool, and a fitness center all under one roof, so you can maintain your health and well-being. We also have visits from podiatrists, blood pressure clinics, and seasonal flu shots. All this and a highly respected, state of the art rehabilitation facility, The Sam L. Cohen Rehab Center, right here when you need it. “I can’t imagine fitting all my stuff into...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Featured.
Does playing cards or studying a foreign language help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease? A recent study presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Copenhagen found that these kinds of activities support the “use it or lose it” theory in that they lead to greater brain volume as seen on neurological imaging tests. Although the study did not reveal that brain games prevent Alzheimer’s Disease altogether, it did show they lead to better learning, memory and information processing. The best evidence suggests that a healthy lifestyle of exercise, a balanced diet and not smoking, combined with activities such as going to museums, doing puzzles and reading books can reduce the risk of dementia. At The Cedars community, we approach overall wellness from various perspectives, depending upon the individual’s needs and abilities. At The Atrium independent living, and The Osher Inn assisted living, we provide multiple opportunities to...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Featured.
The American Heart Association recently released an assessment tool, Life’s Simple 7, that focuses on cardiovascular health issues typically resulting from lifestyle choices, or modifiable behaviors. With several studies having established the relationship between poor cardiovascular health and cognitive decline, researchers questioned whether this tool could be used a motivation for better lifestyle choices. Researchers studied over 17,000 individuals over the age of 45 who completed the Life’s Simple 7 assessment. The tool covers the following health areas: smoking, diet, physical activity, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, total cholesterol and fasting glucose. After four years, the participants’ cognitive status was assessed and, not surprisingly, those with the lowest cardiovascular health scores on the Simple 7 had a greater rate of cognitive impairment by 35 to 37 percent. And the strongest correlations came from smoking, BMI and fasting glucose. Recently another study completed in the UK with a similar list...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Advocacy, Featured.
JOHN WATSON, Chief Financial Officer at The Cedars, received a special Advocacy Award from Leading Age on April 14 for his work on Maine’s Commission to Study Long Term Care (LTC) Facilities. John has been a leader in the statewide movement to change the ways our state pays for nursing home care for years, and his distinguished service on the Commission reflects his commitment to good finance—and fairness. “The Commission found Maine underfunds nursing homes by $40 million dollars each year, ” John says. “This forces nursing homes to carve out funds from Medicare or private pay to provide acceptable care for their residents. If they can’t, they close.” These closures disproportionately affect Maine’s rural communities—and leave seniors in those communities without options. Maine’s strict medical eligibility requirements restrict access to home nursing, leaving seniors and their families to shoulder the burdens of aging in place. “The State of...
What do you do when you hear about someone in need? At The Osher Inn, assisted living at The Cedars, a group of more than six residents dusted off their knitting needles and joined forces to help. A few months ago, a few residents at The Osher Inn heard of a man receiving services from VNA Hospice – who just couldn’t stay warm. They didn’t miss a beat and gathered their friends at The Osher Inn to create a blanket as a donation to hospice. “It took around three months, with more than six of us working on it”, the group explained. None of the knitters had picked up needles in years, but they jumped back in willingly. “Fingers change over the years,” one knitter explained, “the needles are slippery and they didn’t used to be!” Another resident, who owned a yarn store in Portland for many years, says that using...
The Cedars is pleased to welcome Nancy Kuliga back to The Cedars as the Wellness Manager at The Osher Inn, assisted living at The Cedars. Nancy is no stranger to our community as she was the Director of Nursing for several years at our Skilled Care Center at The Cedars. Nancy has a multitude of experiences in senior care: she has served the Director of Resident Services at an area assisted living specializing in dementia care, acted as a Professional Services Consultant/ Director of Clinical Services for North Country Associates and Manager of Clinical Operations for Genesis Health Care. Nancy has worn many different hats throughout her nursing career and possesses strong skills with nursing leadership, management, knowledge of regulations governing assisted living and extensive knowledge of best clinical practices. Additionally she possesses certifications in nursing leadership, dementia care, and the minimum data set, which is the tool that determines long term care compensation levels....
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Featured.
When Les Brewer first moved to The Atrium at The Cedars in the spring of 2013, he was pleased to hear that there was a standing bridge game every Thursday evening. At the time, there were a few tables of avid bridge players who would routinely meet. Over the course of the year, Les has taken on the role of coordinating the game and opening the fun to new players and novices alike. “Everyone enjoys the hour and a half on Thursday nights – it keeps the mind occupied and it’s very social,” Les explains. When Les was growing up he would watch his grandparents play bridge, learning the game through observation. Whenever there was an opportunity to play, he would join them. In college, bridge was a popular early-evening activity in his Beta Theta Pi fraternity house at the University of Maine. Then, while stationed in Paris, France during WWII, he would walk to the Red Cross...
Active Aging. Many of us may have heard of this term and may be asking ourselves – what is it, does it refer to me, and how would I get started? A recent article, in clarifying what’s behind Active Aging, challenges us to view aging from this perspective: accept the inevitable, embrace it, and make it work for you. Aging, of course, is a privilege – as one of my favorite octogenarians has said with each passing birthday, “It’s better than the alternative!” With this privilege comes the opportunity of seizing each moment and treating it as a gift – not just letting life happen. How would we go about doing this? Start with the following four concepts, and see how it goes: Use it or lose it: exercise your body, mind or spirit. At communities like The Atrium at The Cedars, residents choose from multiple exercise options, lectures and...
Many of us have the opportunity to visit a parent or grandparent at their home in an assisted living or skilled care community like The Cedars. We may see them frequently, if they live nearby, or only on occasion if they’re out of state. Either way, we want to make the most of the these get togethers – and revisiting fond memories can bring lots of smiles to everyone. Reminiscence Therapy is a wonderful way to enhance quality of life through laughter, sharing and feelings of acceptance. This can be a great thing to do while visiting a loved one at The Cedars. Even someone with moderate dementia may remember what her wedding dress looked like, their high school prom, they’re military days, or where he liked to go fishing. Reminiscence Therapy can: Increase and strengthen normal, healthy abilities and life skills Promote social interaction and skills Increase self esteem Reinforce mental status...
Does playing cards or studying a foreign language help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease? A recent study presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Copenhagen found that these kinds of activities support the “use it or lose it” theory in that they lead to greater brain volume as seen on neurological imaging tests. Although the study did not reveal that brain games prevent Alzheimer’s Disease altogether, it did show they lead to better learning, memory and information processing. The best evidence suggests that a healthy lifestyle of exercise, a balanced diet and not smoking, combined with activities such as going to museums, doing puzzles and reading books can reduce the risk of dementia. At The Cedars community, we approach overall wellness from various perspectives, depending upon the individual’s needs and abilities. At The Atrium independent living, and The Osher Inn assisted living, we provide multiple opportunities to...
What do you do when you hear about someone in need? At The Osher Inn, assisted living at The Cedars, a group of more than six residents dusted off their knitting needles and joined forces to help. A few months ago, a few residents at The Osher Inn heard of a man receiving services from VNA Hospice – who just couldn’t stay warm. They didn’t miss a beat and gathered their friends at The Osher Inn to create a blanket as a donation to hospice. “It took around three months, with more than six of us working on it”, the group explained. None of the knitters had picked up needles in years, but they jumped back in willingly. “Fingers change over the years,” one knitter explained, “the needles are slippery and they didn’t used to be!” Another resident, who owned a yarn store in Portland for many years, says that using...
When Les Brewer first moved to The Atrium at The Cedars in the spring of 2013, he was pleased to hear that there was a standing bridge game every Thursday evening. At the time, there were a few tables of avid bridge players who would routinely meet. Over the course of the year, Les has taken on the role of coordinating the game and opening the fun to new players and novices alike. “Everyone enjoys the hour and a half on Thursday nights – it keeps the mind occupied and it’s very social,” Les explains. When Les was growing up he would watch his grandparents play bridge, learning the game through observation. Whenever there was an opportunity to play, he would join them. In college, bridge was a popular early-evening activity in his Beta Theta Pi fraternity house at the University of Maine. Then, while stationed in Paris, France during WWII, he would walk to the Red Cross...