Posts Categorized: News and Events

Chaplain Services at The Cedars

Under the auspices of Spiritual Care Services of Maine, Sally Thomas has been providing chaplain services at The Cedars since June of 2023. She visits each of four Cedars neighborhoods once a month, offering both one on one pastoral care and group conversation. In each neighborhood she works with the Lifestyles Managers to help her understand what might be interesting or useful and then makes plans for conversation for each setting. Like many chaplains she knows, much of her training was gotten in a medical setting–in her case, during the many years she worked as an RN in oncology. Her monthly visits to the Atrium follow a pattern: first she checks with participants giving each a chance to share what’s on their mind; then she presents a story, usually with material props of some kind, to provide a basis for spiritual conversation. (At a recent meeting, in telling an...

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Tucker’s Taphouse Partnership with The Cedars

The Cedars is excited to announce a new partnership with Tucker’s Taphouse, a small micro-producer of maple syrup with 115 taps located around the southern part of the state, but boiling in Norway, Maine. Together we will explore the art of maple syrup producing while tapping the trees on The Cedars campus! Tucker’s Taphouse will be presenting at The Atrium and Hoffman Center on March 8th to hold an interactive lecture on all things MAPLE for The Cedars residents. From tap to collection to boiling and finally finished syrup. Our residents will have special opportunities all month to see the demonstration of tapping of the trees on the grounds of The Cedars and even help participate in the tapping process!   Tucker’s Taphouse: Crafted in Maine, Sustainably Harvested, 100% All-Natural Maple Syrup....

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National Research Project: Optimal Engagement for People Living with Dementia

On July 25, 2023, Dr. Susan Wehry spoke about Optimal Engagement at a cocktail party held at the home of Judy Glickman Lauder and Leonard Lauder. Bernard Osher was recognized for his contribution to this important project. The Cedars partnered with the University of New England (UNE) to study better supports for people with dementia. An interdisciplinary group of UNE graduate students in healthcare fields dug deep into scientific literature to identify best practices, evidence-based strategies, and gaps in knowledge under the direction of Susan Wehry, MD, Associate Clinical Professor, UNE College of Medicine, who co-leads the initiative with Angela Hunt, RPT, MS, our Chief Innovation Officer. The team’s recommendations will be reviewed by panels which include people living with dementia. This feedback and insight will inform the development of widely accepted, person-centered best practices that will have a transformative impact on older adults living with dementia and their...

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Lunder Foundation Donates $500,000 to Memory Care at The Cedars

Paula and Peter Lunder, The Lunder Foundation 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...

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COVID-19: Updates at The Cedars

COVID-19 at The Cedars (Updated 8/9/22) The Sam L. Cohen Households, Hoffman Center, and The Osher Inn are free of COVID-19. As of Sunday, August 7, there were 3 cases of COVID-19 among residents at the Atrium Visitations: Masks must be worn when transitioning through common areas and while visiting in semi-private rooms when a roommate is present. For visits with residents residing in semi-private rooms, visitation areas are available on the Shapiro Neighborhood (rooms 251 and 252), Black Wolf Neighborhood (room 101) and Leibowitz in the Library on the Lewis Wing, main corridor.. Visitations: Indoor visitations will take place in either resident rooms or designated visitation areas in the facility All visitors must be screened at the Front Desk. Visitors are encouraged to sanitize their hands and must wear a surgical mask; cloth masks are not acceptable. If the resident is fully vaccinated, residents and visitors may remove...

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U.S. News & World Report Names The Cedars a 2020-21 Best Nursing Home

U.S. News & World Report’s, Best Nursing Home for 2020-21 has given The Cedars an overall rating of High-Performing for both Short-term and Long-term Care. The Cedars earned Best Nursing Homes status by achieving a rating of “High Performing,” the highest possible rating, for the care provided in both our short-term rehabilitation and long-term nursing care centers. U.S. News gives the designation of Best Nursing Home only to the top 21% of communities that satisfy U.S. News’ assessment of key services and consistent performance in quality measures. Now in its 11th year, the U.S. News Best Nursing Homes ratings and profiles offer comprehensive information about care, safety, health inspections, staffing and more for nearly all of the nation’s 15,000-plus nursing homes. The Best Nursing Homes ratings reflect U.S. News’ exclusive analysis of publicly available data using a methodology defined by U.S. News that evaluates factors that it has determined...

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Intergenerational Connections: Creative Storytelling at The Cedars

On December 7, 2020, Falmouth High School (FHS) students, residents of The Cedars, and local artists gathered for An Intergenerational Celebration of Puppetry, Storytelling, and Music—the culmination of a four-month long project in collaboration between FHS, The Cedars, and Figures of Speech Theatre.   Ian Bannon, Director of Education at Figures of Speech Theatre, designed and directed the project and performance around a series of creative storytelling sessions with residents living with dementia at The Cedars. Using TimeSlips, a collaborative ritual storytelling format designed for adults with cognitive challenges, residents draw on subconscious or implicit memories to tell stories. When it becomes challenging to recollect, residents are encouraged to move seamlessly from their memory to their imagination.   FHS students in teacher, Dede Waite’s, theater classes traveled to The Cedars to guide this storytelling and rehearsal process—and to get to know these warm, wonderful, creative older adults.   Bannon...

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The Cedars Brings Household Model to Maine

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...

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Stressful to Successful: Downsizing Seminar

After many years of living in the same home, Downsizing can be a very real dilemma for many – especially those who are considering a move to a retirement community. In fact, the reason many people don’t take action is that they don’t know what to do with their all of their ‘stuff’! To help overcome some of the stress of downsizing, The Atrium is offering a free seminar: “Stressful To Successful:  Helping Parents Downsize”.  It’s taking place on Wednesday, February 27, from 5-6 pm. Angie D’Amours, Marketing Representative will offer tips to anyone who may be working with someone who wants to declutter, or who would like to declutter themselves, so that they can easily make a move to a more worry-free, secure home with opportunities for growth and community. Join The Cedars to start the conversation: working toward a common goal, deciding what to keep, and how to donate or dispose of...

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Senator Collins Celebrates Groundbreaking at The Cedars

Portland, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the Chairman of the Aging Committee, delivered remarks at The Cedars Retirement Community’s groundbreaking ceremony in Portland.  Cedars is starting a new project that will accommodate the evolution of the care model towards the household model of care delivery and private rooms for residents. “For nearly 90 years, The Cedars has helped Maine seniors live their lives to the fullest,” said Senator Collins during her remarks.  “From independent and assisted living to rehabilitation and skilled nursing care, expert staff and dedicated supporters have upheld the traditional values of community while responding to emerging needs and advancement in care.” “Working together, in Washington and in communities across the nation, we are building a shared vision for aging that is centered on health, wellness, and community,” continued Senator Collins.  “Thank you for your dedication to this important cause.” “We are thrilled to have Senator Collins with us today...

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