The Cedars would like to recognize and congratulate our first PAC (Positive Approach to Care) Champions. Pictured here are Jenna Perkins, Kelly Thumb, Tracy Fleck and Karen Cook. Each of these wonderful caregivers has completed The Cedars Positive Approach to Care Trainings – created by internationally regarded occupational therapist, Teepa Snow – and has demonstrated their new skills while working with our residents who are living with memory loss. Their care, patience, creativity, and positive attitudes all combine to make our residents’ daily lives more peaceful and connected. Working with each resident’s strengths, instead of focusing on their cognitive losses, translates to better days and more successful moments for people living with memory loss. As PAC Champions, each caregiver has signed an agreement to be a role model to their team in their Positive Approach to Care with our residents. You can find each of these caregivers working...
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...
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...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Households.
The Cedars Learning Center will address the national shortage of skilled senior care providers. TODAY OUR NATION faces a steep rise in its senior population and a critical shortfall of skilled caregivers. As the second-oldest state in the nation, Maine will feel this shortage more than most. We can’t wait for others to build tomorrow’s workforce. We must do it ourselves—beginning now. “Over the next two years, in conjunction with industry thought leaders, The Cedars will be committing its resources to the development of a Learning Community™ —an in-house teaching and learning resource with which to train its workforce of the future,” explains Bill Foster, former Dean of the Muskie School of Public Service and former Chief of Staff and Deputy Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Labor. “It will serve as a unique model of open source teaching and learning for all of us.” Over the years, The Cedars...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Households.
What is Culture Change? A PersonFirst approach to care It requires knowledge of our residents’ preferences and life stories It needs facility systems that support our staff in providing care on our residents’ own schedule and preferences It requires empowerment of our staff in self-directed teams so that they can make decisions in the moment, for our residents The Cedars has been on the Culture Change journey for a while. And now we have a company called Action Pact to help us. They are experts on Culture Change and provide trainings for staff in all departments, volunteers, family and residents. The PersonFirst Approach In order to make home, we must start by knowing and honoring an individual’s life, stories and desires. To create a meaningful life, we all have five human needs that must be filled: Inclusion: we all need to be part of a larger group, to be included in life around...
The Cedars would like to recognize and congratulate our first PAC (Positive Approach to Care) Champions. Pictured here are Jenna Perkins, Kelly Thumb, Tracy Fleck and Karen Cook. Each of these wonderful caregivers has completed The Cedars Positive Approach to Care Trainings – created by internationally regarded occupational therapist, Teepa Snow – and has demonstrated their new skills while working with our residents who are living with memory loss. Their care, patience, creativity, and positive attitudes all combine to make our residents’ daily lives more peaceful and connected. Working with each resident’s strengths, instead of focusing on their cognitive losses, translates to better days and more successful moments for people living with memory loss. As PAC Champions, each caregiver has signed an agreement to be a role model to their team in their Positive Approach to Care with our residents. You can find each of these caregivers working...
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...
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 Cedars Learning Center will address the national shortage of skilled senior care providers. TODAY OUR NATION faces a steep rise in its senior population and a critical shortfall of skilled caregivers. As the second-oldest state in the nation, Maine will feel this shortage more than most. We can’t wait for others to build tomorrow’s workforce. We must do it ourselves—beginning now. “Over the next two years, in conjunction with industry thought leaders, The Cedars will be committing its resources to the development of a Learning Community™ —an in-house teaching and learning resource with which to train its workforce of the future,” explains Bill Foster, former Dean of the Muskie School of Public Service and former Chief of Staff and Deputy Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Labor. “It will serve as a unique model of open source teaching and learning for all of us.” Over the years, The Cedars...
What is Culture Change? A PersonFirst approach to care It requires knowledge of our residents’ preferences and life stories It needs facility systems that support our staff in providing care on our residents’ own schedule and preferences It requires empowerment of our staff in self-directed teams so that they can make decisions in the moment, for our residents The Cedars has been on the Culture Change journey for a while. And now we have a company called Action Pact to help us. They are experts on Culture Change and provide trainings for staff in all departments, volunteers, family and residents. The PersonFirst Approach In order to make home, we must start by knowing and honoring an individual’s life, stories and desires. To create a meaningful life, we all have five human needs that must be filled: Inclusion: we all need to be part of a larger group, to be included in life around...