When you think of senior living communities, do you imagine playing bingo all day? Think again! From day trips to exciting destinations around southern Maine to sensory gardening, reiki massage, and wine and cheese parties, The Cedars finds fresh ways to keep older adults active, engaged, and connected to each other and the world. Yes, you can join a rollicking bingo game at The Cedars, (Free Money Monday Bingo is cutthroat competitive, so bring your game face!) But activities for seniors at The Cedars go far beyond bingo. Our life enrichment team fills our assisted living activities calendar with vibrant, diverse, and lively opportunities to socialize with others, learn new skills and find new passions, improve health and cognitive functioning, experience the natural world, and make meaningful contributions to the wider community. Here are just some of the unexpected and innovative ways our residents make the most of this...
In addition to The Cedars Pet Therapy program, The Skilled Care Center at The Cedars has partnered with another wonderful animal assisted therapy group. Silent Sidekicks is a nonprofit organization located in Lincoln, Maine that provides animal assisted therapy/activities under the services of trained volunteers to communities throughout the State of Maine and the Canadian Province of New Brunswick. Their mission is to enrich people’s lives and promote health and happiness through positive experiences with animals. Silent Sidekicks accomplishes this by providing comfort, support, and companionship through animal assisted therapy and activities as well as by increasing public awareness of the benefits of the human-animal bond. While at The Cedars, the program will include the use of service dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs. All of the volunteers with Silent Sidekicks consist of fully trained human and animal teams. As always the presence of animals enhances well-being and provides a very therapeutic relationship...
Posted in our blog on by Angie& filed under Latest News.
The Healing Effects of Pet Therapy By Janine Fifield, Life Enrichment Assistant and Volunteer Coordinator at The Cedars Retirement Community “Love is the most important medicine and pets are one of nature’s best sources of affection.” – Anonymous Most of us are already aware of the wonderful benefits of being in the presence of our beloved pets. And here at The Cedars, we are honored to be a training community for local therapy dogs. On any given day, we have from one to five furry friends engaging with our residents and offering not only their unconditional love, but also their profound and medically proven healing effects. Residents in nursing communities who have regular visits from pets are more receptive to medical treatment and nourishment. It is also well established that touch is very important for our minds and spirits. For most people, the touch of an animal is safe, non-threatening...
Posted in our blog on by Angie& filed under Featured.
Best Senior Living – ContessaPosted by Contessa, Pet Therapy Provider My name is Contessa. I am a six year old West Highland Terrier and I live at The Cedars. Actually, I don’t live there, but I am there every day and I have a bed there. My “mom” is President and CEO Kathy Callnan and she brings me to work with her every day! Sometimes I take naps in her office while she’s having meetings, but usually she wakes me up and tells me to “Go to work, Tessa!” So I do. My work is being a therapy dog. I visit with residents in the Hoffman Center every week. Sometimes I hear about their grandchildren or their own dogs and sometimes I just get my ears scratched. I like that a lot. My other job is helping my friends Kim Doyon and Janine Fifield run the Life Enrichment program....
When you think of senior living communities, do you imagine playing bingo all day? Think again! From day trips to exciting destinations around southern Maine to sensory gardening, reiki massage, and wine and cheese parties, The Cedars finds fresh ways to keep older adults active, engaged, and connected to each other and the world. Yes, you can join a rollicking bingo game at The Cedars, (Free Money Monday Bingo is cutthroat competitive, so bring your game face!) But activities for seniors at The Cedars go far beyond bingo. Our life enrichment team fills our assisted living activities calendar with vibrant, diverse, and lively opportunities to socialize with others, learn new skills and find new passions, improve health and cognitive functioning, experience the natural world, and make meaningful contributions to the wider community. Here are just some of the unexpected and innovative ways our residents make the most of this...
In addition to The Cedars Pet Therapy program, The Skilled Care Center at The Cedars has partnered with another wonderful animal assisted therapy group. Silent Sidekicks is a nonprofit organization located in Lincoln, Maine that provides animal assisted therapy/activities under the services of trained volunteers to communities throughout the State of Maine and the Canadian Province of New Brunswick. Their mission is to enrich people’s lives and promote health and happiness through positive experiences with animals. Silent Sidekicks accomplishes this by providing comfort, support, and companionship through animal assisted therapy and activities as well as by increasing public awareness of the benefits of the human-animal bond. While at The Cedars, the program will include the use of service dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs. All of the volunteers with Silent Sidekicks consist of fully trained human and animal teams. As always the presence of animals enhances well-being and provides a very therapeutic relationship...