The Cedars is delighted to announce that The Lunder Foundation – Peter and Paula Lunder Family has awarded a $500,000 grant toward The Cedars’ memory support programs serving older adults in Maine. In recognition of this gift, The Cedars will name the “Lunder Memory Care Household” for assisted living on the first floor of the newly constructed Sam L. Cohen Households, which will officially open in March 2021. The gift will create a permanent endowment to support the development and operation of the “Lunder Memory Support Programs” serving residents of The Cedars. Richard Borts, Chair of the Board of Trustees of The Cedars, remarked that “This wonderful investment from Paula and Peter Lunder and The Lunder Foundation is an affirmation of The Cedars’ leadership work in caring for the most vulnerable among us, and a direct result of creating the first Household Model in Maine and Northern New England serving...
How do you celebrate 90 years of quality care, innovative programs, and dedicated leadership? By breaking new ground. Since opening as the Jewish Home for Aged in 1929, The Cedars has set the standard for non-profit, senior care. Today, we offer independent living, assisted living, rehabilitation, skilled care and community-based programs. We mark this milestone by constructing a true home for Maine’s older adults – The Sam L. Cohen Households. This new model of care will feature age-friendly design, with a warm, person-centered experience: two households of skilled nursing care, and one household offering a new level of care, Memory Care Assisted Living. Residents of the Sam L. Cohen Households will experience a living environment that offers a quality of life previously unimaginable outside of their own homes. The Person-Directed Life Your loved one chooses the rhythm of their individual life, the rituals and pleasures that are part of...
In August, 2019, Troy D. Jackson, President of the Maine Senate appointed The Cedars President and CEO, Kathy Callnan to the Commission to Study Long-term Care Workforce Issues. Kathy will be serving the commission as a representative of a statewide association representing nonprofit housing and senior service programming. The Cedars has been focused on the workforce crisis, particularly as it applies to Maine’s older adults and their need to access care, for over ten years. With Maine have the oldest median age at 44 years, we have been working tirelessly to educate tomorrow’s workers on the opportunities in building a career in healthcare. With The Cedars Learning Community, our emphasis on person-centered care, and the upcoming Household Model of Care (construction begins September 2019), we have been forging partnerships to drive innovation at The Cedars. Our goal is to share our approaches to education, innovation, workforce development and the...
In honor of Sam’s legacy, the Sam L. Cohen Foundation has made its largest gift ever—$1.5 million—to support building a brand-new Healthcare Center at The Cedars that will provide truly person-centered care. “Sam L. Cohen was, first and foremost, a people person. When the Foundation was first established, we researched the gifts Sam had made during his life,” explains Jeff Nathanson, President of the Sam L. Cohen Foundation. “Sam wasn’t here to tell us what he wanted and we hoped to discover what inspired his legendary, lifelong giving to guide us in our grant making. It quickly became very clear to us that Sam didn’t give to organizations or ideas. Sam gave to people.” SAM L. COHEN WAS THE LIFE OF the Jewish community of Biddeford, Maine. He was also its heart. More than ten years after his passing, his gregarious personality—and his generous philanthropy—remain legendary. The Sam L....
We had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Susan Wehry, Chief of Geriatric Division of Primary Care for the School of Osteopathic Medicine at University of New England prior to her presentation at The Cedars Annual Meeting on May 2. It’s an interesting time with so few people going into geriatric medicine and the number of older adults rising every day. What is your goal and vision in your role at UNE? Whether future physicians want to go into geriatric medicine or not, they are going to be treating a lot of older adults because that’s who’s here. They’ll be working with older adults in orthopedics, primary care, gastroenterology, or even pediatrics – since many grandparents will be caring for their grandchildren. My goal isn’t to create more geriatricians – that situation will take care of itself. Rather, my goal is to ensure that tomorrow’s physicians will know how...
On Friday September 21, Senator Susan Collins shared remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony and climbed aboard an excavator to deliver the first dig for the Sam L. Cohen Households at The Cedars. A Bold Change to Transform Senior Care The Cedars is building the Sam L. Cohen Households for skilled nursing care and introducing a new, vitally needed memory care assisted living, as well as renovating our current neighborhoods in households. The Household Model of Senior Living The visionary and person-centered Household Model is earning praise across the country and fast becoming the best practice as an enlightened approach to senior care. The Household Model features a home environment where residents have choices, including when to wake up, what to eat, and how to spend each day, just like we do at home. It’s a model we believe will not only meet and exceed the expectations of our senior...
A Silver Lining for an Aging State: Bold Solutions to Boost Maine’s Economy Wednesday May 30, 8-10AM A panel of national leaders will examine the critical issues facing Maine as our population rapidly ages and workforce steadily declines. RSVP 207-221-7005...
The Cedars was honored to recently host Dr. Liliane Willens as she presented to a packed house, sharing her riveting story of growing up in China during World War II under the pressures of foreign invaders and civil war as recounted in her most recent book, Stateless in Shanghai. Lily spoke energetically for more than an hour about her experiences living in Shanghai, often injecting humor among the political and social details of this tumultuous time. Scholar, memoirist and humanitarian, Dr. Willens has conducted hundreds of lectures and interviews across the United States, Europe, Asia and into Africa. She has presented at Georgetown University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stonehill College, the University of Maine, the Library of Congress, and to the Joint Harvard/MIT Washington Clubs. Born of Russian parentage in the former French Concession of Shanghai China, Liliane and her family experienced World War II under the Japanese military occupation and...
As we progress on our transformation into the Household Model, The Cedars is learning and evolving in many ways. One helpful tool in our process has been the Learning Circle. Staff throughout the community are finding the value of this communication method where trust and understanding are fostered and diverse perspectives are welcomed, shared and respected. The Learning Circle begins when the facilitator poses a question or issue for the group, and then a volunteer responds with their thoughts on the topic. The person on the left or the right of that person goes next, followed one by one around the circle until everyone has spoken, without interruption. Participants are welcome to pass, at the end they are given the opportunity to respond. Once everyone has had the chance to speak, the floor opens for general discussion. A recent Learning Circle involving staff on the Neighborhoods centered around the...
The Steering Committee at The Cedars gathered for the first step in a two year journey towards Culture Change and the implementation of the Household Model in our long term care and assisted living. Megan Hannon, culture change specialist with our partner, Action Pact, led the committee of 15 staff, management, volunteers from all departments – an additional 10 individuals will rotate through future sessions. Here is a recap of what we learned: We heard about how adults learn, how we need time to talk with each other, to communicate safely, to process and apply new ideas, and to process more. We discovered that through this learning, we will grow our skills AND our attitudes. We explored the Team Leadership Model, and practiced the new roles in this shared leadership approach. We found that each member of the group has a role in leading – we are all group leaders. We delved...
The Cedars is delighted to announce that The Lunder Foundation – Peter and Paula Lunder Family has awarded a $500,000 grant toward The Cedars’ memory support programs serving older adults in Maine. In recognition of this gift, The Cedars will name the “Lunder Memory Care Household” for assisted living on the first floor of the newly constructed Sam L. Cohen Households, which will officially open in March 2021. The gift will create a permanent endowment to support the development and operation of the “Lunder Memory Support Programs” serving residents of The Cedars. Richard Borts, Chair of the Board of Trustees of The Cedars, remarked that “This wonderful investment from Paula and Peter Lunder and The Lunder Foundation is an affirmation of The Cedars’ leadership work in caring for the most vulnerable among us, and a direct result of creating the first Household Model in Maine and Northern New England serving...
How do you celebrate 90 years of quality care, innovative programs, and dedicated leadership? By breaking new ground. Since opening as the Jewish Home for Aged in 1929, The Cedars has set the standard for non-profit, senior care. Today, we offer independent living, assisted living, rehabilitation, skilled care and community-based programs. We mark this milestone by constructing a true home for Maine’s older adults – The Sam L. Cohen Households. This new model of care will feature age-friendly design, with a warm, person-centered experience: two households of skilled nursing care, and one household offering a new level of care, Memory Care Assisted Living. Residents of the Sam L. Cohen Households will experience a living environment that offers a quality of life previously unimaginable outside of their own homes. The Person-Directed Life Your loved one chooses the rhythm of their individual life, the rituals and pleasures that are part of...
In August, 2019, Troy D. Jackson, President of the Maine Senate appointed The Cedars President and CEO, Kathy Callnan to the Commission to Study Long-term Care Workforce Issues. Kathy will be serving the commission as a representative of a statewide association representing nonprofit housing and senior service programming. The Cedars has been focused on the workforce crisis, particularly as it applies to Maine’s older adults and their need to access care, for over ten years. With Maine have the oldest median age at 44 years, we have been working tirelessly to educate tomorrow’s workers on the opportunities in building a career in healthcare. With The Cedars Learning Community, our emphasis on person-centered care, and the upcoming Household Model of Care (construction begins September 2019), we have been forging partnerships to drive innovation at The Cedars. Our goal is to share our approaches to education, innovation, workforce development and the...
In honor of Sam’s legacy, the Sam L. Cohen Foundation has made its largest gift ever—$1.5 million—to support building a brand-new Healthcare Center at The Cedars that will provide truly person-centered care. “Sam L. Cohen was, first and foremost, a people person. When the Foundation was first established, we researched the gifts Sam had made during his life,” explains Jeff Nathanson, President of the Sam L. Cohen Foundation. “Sam wasn’t here to tell us what he wanted and we hoped to discover what inspired his legendary, lifelong giving to guide us in our grant making. It quickly became very clear to us that Sam didn’t give to organizations or ideas. Sam gave to people.” SAM L. COHEN WAS THE LIFE OF the Jewish community of Biddeford, Maine. He was also its heart. More than ten years after his passing, his gregarious personality—and his generous philanthropy—remain legendary. The Sam L....
We had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Susan Wehry, Chief of Geriatric Division of Primary Care for the School of Osteopathic Medicine at University of New England prior to her presentation at The Cedars Annual Meeting on May 2. It’s an interesting time with so few people going into geriatric medicine and the number of older adults rising every day. What is your goal and vision in your role at UNE? Whether future physicians want to go into geriatric medicine or not, they are going to be treating a lot of older adults because that’s who’s here. They’ll be working with older adults in orthopedics, primary care, gastroenterology, or even pediatrics – since many grandparents will be caring for their grandchildren. My goal isn’t to create more geriatricians – that situation will take care of itself. Rather, my goal is to ensure that tomorrow’s physicians will know how...
On Friday September 21, Senator Susan Collins shared remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony and climbed aboard an excavator to deliver the first dig for the Sam L. Cohen Households at The Cedars. A Bold Change to Transform Senior Care The Cedars is building the Sam L. Cohen Households for skilled nursing care and introducing a new, vitally needed memory care assisted living, as well as renovating our current neighborhoods in households. The Household Model of Senior Living The visionary and person-centered Household Model is earning praise across the country and fast becoming the best practice as an enlightened approach to senior care. The Household Model features a home environment where residents have choices, including when to wake up, what to eat, and how to spend each day, just like we do at home. It’s a model we believe will not only meet and exceed the expectations of our senior...
The Cedars was honored to recently host Dr. Liliane Willens as she presented to a packed house, sharing her riveting story of growing up in China during World War II under the pressures of foreign invaders and civil war as recounted in her most recent book, Stateless in Shanghai. Lily spoke energetically for more than an hour about her experiences living in Shanghai, often injecting humor among the political and social details of this tumultuous time. Scholar, memoirist and humanitarian, Dr. Willens has conducted hundreds of lectures and interviews across the United States, Europe, Asia and into Africa. She has presented at Georgetown University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stonehill College, the University of Maine, the Library of Congress, and to the Joint Harvard/MIT Washington Clubs. Born of Russian parentage in the former French Concession of Shanghai China, Liliane and her family experienced World War II under the Japanese military occupation and...
As we progress on our transformation into the Household Model, The Cedars is learning and evolving in many ways. One helpful tool in our process has been the Learning Circle. Staff throughout the community are finding the value of this communication method where trust and understanding are fostered and diverse perspectives are welcomed, shared and respected. The Learning Circle begins when the facilitator poses a question or issue for the group, and then a volunteer responds with their thoughts on the topic. The person on the left or the right of that person goes next, followed one by one around the circle until everyone has spoken, without interruption. Participants are welcome to pass, at the end they are given the opportunity to respond. Once everyone has had the chance to speak, the floor opens for general discussion. A recent Learning Circle involving staff on the Neighborhoods centered around the...
The Steering Committee at The Cedars gathered for the first step in a two year journey towards Culture Change and the implementation of the Household Model in our long term care and assisted living. Megan Hannon, culture change specialist with our partner, Action Pact, led the committee of 15 staff, management, volunteers from all departments – an additional 10 individuals will rotate through future sessions. Here is a recap of what we learned: We heard about how adults learn, how we need time to talk with each other, to communicate safely, to process and apply new ideas, and to process more. We discovered that through this learning, we will grow our skills AND our attitudes. We explored the Team Leadership Model, and practiced the new roles in this shared leadership approach. We found that each member of the group has a role in leading – we are all group leaders. We delved...