Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Featured.
The residents and members of The Cedars are embarking on their second session of Resistance Training at The Atrium. Sharon Leddy-Smart, Lifestyle Coordinator and Personal Trainer, has completed the progress measurements following the first 12-week session, and the results are encouraging! Given that this program was new to so many, the response and interest were better than expected, and all of the participants report that they have seen improvements. The comments at our recent Member Meeting include: Overall sense of feeling better and having more energy Improved muscle strength and endurance Sleeping better Improved posture due to an increased awareness of sitting and standing up straight Increased range of motion and flexibility Sharon enjoys working with seniors and sees herself as a catalyst for our members and residents to feel better through exercise. During the third week of September, she conducted the Fullerton Fitness Assessments on all participants and...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Featured.
Today, The Cedars Retirement Community shared an interesting study on our FaceBook page which we found in the Huffington Post titled, “Doctor Empathy Linked With Better Patient Care”. We are proud to say that the benefit of empathy in patient care has been at the core of The Cedars community and mission. Interestingly, this emphasis is gaining traction beyond the nursing field. At The Cedars, students from the University of New England are starting a year-long learning experience with our community called their Interprofessional Geriatric Education Program (IGEP). Joe Wolfberg, M.S., Site-Coordinator for IGEP is hopeful that these scheduled interactions with our elder teachers will provide opportunities for clinical excellence, compassion and most certainly, empathy. This week, Physician Assistant and Pharmacy students are starting at The Atrium, independent living and in coming months they will spend time with seniors at The Osher Inn, assisted living and then at the...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Featured.
The Cedars Retirement Community: CNBC.com Niche Retirement Community Just about every retirement community features activities and programs that emphasize wellness. The Cedars in Portland, Maine, is no exception. It emphasizes holistic wellness, which many baby boomers have pursued for decades. The community’s yoga program is taught by Jessica McKneally, who believes that yoga can help alleviate many of the health issues that older adults face. “Many of the chronic ailments associated with the aging process are the result of stress, imbalance and disconnection,”she says on the community’s website. “Relieving stress, cultivating balance in our lives and reconnecting to our self and others can go a long way towards establishing a healthier, happier, more sustainable...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Featured.
According to Carol Worthington, editor of Healthy Aging Magazine and director Health Aging, it’s never too late to “re-invent” yourself. September is Healthy Aging Month, an annual health observance designed to focus national attention on the positive aspects of growing older, and we take healthy aging very seriously here at The Cedars! Worthington explains, “We need to draw attention to the myths of aging, to shout out “Hey, its’ not too late to take control of your health, it’s never too late to get started on something new.’ To get started, here are some ideas from Health Aging Magazine to help you think outside of the box: Back to School – through Osher Lifelong Learning (we provide the transportation!) or attend more lectures at The Atrium Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow – older adults getting regular physical exercise are 60% less likely to get dementia as it increases oxygen to...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Featured.
The Cedars is dedicated to incorporating wellness throughout our community – for our members, residents and staff. The opportunities to embrace wellness could not have been greater than at our annual Wellness Fair at The Cedars. Vendors from over 20 stations and organizations were there to share their knowledge and services with our community – and everyone indulged in healthy snacks, yoga classes, massage therapy and paraffin dips. Giveaways included a Kindle Fire, and various gift baskets to Dick Sporting Goods, The Cedars Spa and Healthy Eating and Cooking. The Cedars thanks the participating vendors who partnered to make this a great event: Acadia Insurance Harvard Pilgrim – information and cholesterol screening Guardian Dental American Heart Association Cancer Community Center 2-1-1 Maine US Foods Community Counseling Center Hannaford Scarborough Family Chiropractic Walgreen’s Blood Pressure Screening Hula Hooping Portland Maine...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Featured.
The Cedars has been enjoying the internet more than ever this summer, thanks to the help of volunteer Michael Michaelson. An upcoming freshman in high school at Wayneflete in Portland, Michael has been visiting members in our retirement community every Thursday morning since June. During his time here, he busily runs from one apartment to the next assisting members and leaving them quite pleased. For instance, he connected one member to skype so she could talk with her daughters who both live in Italy. Another member proudly announced that, because of Michael’s tutelage, she not only knew when her mouse needed new batteries, but she was able to change them herself. Other members are accessing e-mail and FaceBook for the first time – and love it! Michael explains that his work with seniors is quite rewarding. When he saw the “huge” need for seniors to connect on the internet,...
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Help With Aging Parents: The Truth About Cataracts By Diane Vigue, RN, Resident Wellness Manager at The Osher Inn, assisted living at The Cedars Did you know that 20.5 million older Americans have cataracts, one of the most curable causes of vision loss? A cataract is clouding of the eye’s normally clear lens, blocking the passage of light needed for vision. Cataracts form slowly and cause no pain. Some stay small and hardly affect vision, but if one does grow and begin to affect your vision, it can usually be removed with surgery. According to The American Academy of Opthamology, new techniques developed over the past decade have made cataract surgery one of the safest and most successful procedures available in terms of restoring quality of life to patients. Each year there are more than 1.6 million of these delicate eye surgeries performed in the United States. There are no...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Featured.
The Cedars commitment to wellness can be seen throughout the community, from tai chi instruction for members to yoga classes for staff. A particular program that is gaining increased popularity is our water aerobics or “Aquazcize” as we refer to it. Sharon Leddy-Smart, Director of Lifestyles at The Atrium independent living, is also a personal trainer, triathlete, and mother of five – and touts the benefits of water aerobics for the senior population. The Atrium’s pool is considered therapeutic as it is heated to over 87 degrees Fahrenheit. Sharon’s classes focus on coordination, mobility, balance, range ofmotion and core stability. “It’s great for people dealing with arthritis because it’s no-impact, and the heat helps warm the joints to allow for greater range of motion.” Member Florence Strauss explains that “it is the only time I can walk pain-free, when I’m exercising in the pool.” Sharon states that the water is...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Featured.
Living Well with Dementia: Caregivers of People with Dementia-Part I by Lisa Clark OTR, Program Coordinator of Living Well with Dementia In a recent issue of “OT Practice” from the American Occupational Therapy Association, an article is featured about the needs of caregivers for people with dementia. Occupational therapists are uniquely skilled at considering needs of caregivers because of their orientation toward staying healthy through activity. Activity for health is important for the person with dementia as well as the caregiver. The Living Well with Dementia Program offers evaluation, recommendations and individual or group treatment for people with memory issues. Caregivers are an important support for people dealing with memory loss. In addition, there are some helpful hints for caregivers, making their work with their loved ones a little easier. Sometimes these seem to be the opposite of what one might think is the best care technique. Decreasing stress...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Featured.
The Cedars is introducing a state-of-the-art strength training program for our retirement community residents living in independent living and assisted living. Sharon Leddy-smart, Lifestyle Coordinator at The Atrium and Angie Hunt, Director of the Hoffman Center recently presented this exciting new program to the members at The Atrium, The Cedars independent living community. Angie and Sharon pointed out that aging is a natural process, and we all age differently. Several studies show that exercise not only improves quality of life, but also helps people live longer lives. The ten bio-markers of age, which are reversible include: Muscle Mass – Decreases Strength – Decreases Basal Metabolic Rate – Decreases Body Fat – Increases Aerobic Capacity – Decreases Blood Pressure – Increases Blood Sugar Tolerance – Decreases Cholesterol/HDL Ration – Decreases Bone Density – Decreases Body Temperature Regulation – Decreases The Cedars new program is an innovative wellness program focused on strengthening...
