The Cedars portland

Robert Moody at The Atrium

Katharine — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:30:48 +0000

On Thursday March 8 The Cedars will present Robert Moody, Conductor of the Portland Symphony Orchestra who will discuss his experiences with the PSO and beyond.

Please RSVP by March 1, 2012 to 207-221-7100

Skilled Care at The Cedars: Life Stories

Katharine — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:13:10 +0000

Life in the Neighborhood: Your Life Story Matters

Kim Doyon, Life Enrichment Coordinator at The Cedars

Life stories recognize the uniqueness of each person. Today the development and use of life stories is one important key to delivering person centered care at The Skilled Care Center. The Cedars staff believes that by placing the resident and their biography at the heart of care, we can better impact quality of life and care for our residents. Life story work is an activity that reviews the past experiences, life events and routines, and creates a biography of the person. The life story helps us understand the resident and will help to promote relationships and facilitate delivery of care. Many of our life enrichment activities are based on life stories and what residents deem as important.

The Cedars asks the family members for help with the development of a life story for each resident. The Life Enrichment Department provides a thorough life story form to assist them in documenting family demographics, past experiences, likes and dislikes, events and routines. These life stories will be a foundation for providing spontaneous activities on the Neighborhoods, development of group activities and will be utilized in social activities.

Everyone has a chronicle of life to tell…and everyone‘s history is rich. We embrace the opportunity to learn more about each residents. Although the staff receives some of this information while transitioning into The Cedars, there is so much more to learn about our beautiful residents. We ask that families please take the time to connect with the Life Enrichment Department so that they may assist each and everyone with the development of their loved one’s Life Story. If you have any questions about the value of Life Stories, please contact me at kdoyon@thecedarsportland.org or 207-221-7000 for more information.

Best Independent Living: Heart Healthy Tips

Katharine — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:41:35 +0000

Heart Healthy Tips from Sharon

By Sharon Leddy-Smart, Lifestyle Coordinator at The Atrium, independent living at The Cedars

The American Heart Association has long appointed February as Heart Healthy Month and Sharon Leddy-Smart, Lifestyle Director and wellness expert, is sharing her tips for staying healthy and happy in 2012.

Eat Right: We all live longer and stronger with a healthy diet. Be sure to focus on whole grains and fiber; breads, fruits and vegetables are also great options. And don’t forget your calcium and protein needs by enjoying foods like milk, yogurt, cheese, beans, fish, and eggs.
Drink Your Water: The American Medical Association recommends drinking six to eight glasses of water daily, especially with increased fiber intake and exercise. Keeping our blood and tissues hydrated also helps to lubricate the joints and moisten the lungs to allow for healthy breathing, which all contributes to slowing down the effects of aging.
Get plenty of sleep: Seniors should get at least eight hours of sleep per night. To ensure a good night’s sleep, get enough exercise and avoid caffeine in the afternoon. As we age, seniors don’t spend as much time in deep sleep. If you’re having trouble falling or staying asleep, be sure to see your doctor.
Exercise: Generally, seniors should exercise at least three times per week, for 30 to 45 minute sessions. Sharon recommends gentle to moderate activity such as walking in and around our community, taking classes at our FitnessCenter, swimming and participating in water aerobics, or enjoying one of our Tai Chi or Yoga classes.
Socialize: Be sure to get out and about with friends and family, or sign up to volunteer at one of the many opportunities in Portland or at The Cedars. The Experience Corps Program of Baltimore conducted a study on participation which indicate that seniors who volunteer experience advantages in mental and physical functioning such as a lower risk of depression, less decline in health due to aging, and improvements in memory. Time spent with others can help us stay happy and healthy.

If you have any questions, or would like more information on any of the above, contact Sharon today at 207-221-7100.

Best Senior Care: Living Well with Dementia, Part I

Katharine — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:32:48 +0000

The Cedars has launched a new and exciting community-based outpatient program, Living Well with Dementia, which focuses on individuals living with the early stages of dementia. The essential philosophy of the program is that individuals with an early diagnosis of dementia can improve their overall function, leading to a more positive quality of life, keeping them at home longer.

Living Well with Dementia is a cognitive-based program structured to encourage health stability and functional competence, enabling people with dementia to live safely at home. The program targets meaningful, holistic rehabilitation based on current sound research and health maintenance. After a full assessment, our program and services are individually tailored for each client to maximize independence at home and in the community.

All aspects of the program are facilitated by highly qualified rehabilitation staff in the areas of gerontology, rehabilitation services to include occupational, physical and speech therapies. Each member of the staff has expertise working with seniors facing cognitive challenges.

Those seniors who qualify for the program have a diagnosed cognitive impairment, such as: early cognitive deficit from one to three years; moderate cognitive deficit three to five years; diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Huntington’s Disease, or Multi-infarct dementia with mild to moderate cognitive involvement.

Following a comprehensive assessment, the program provides unique opportunities to exercise the brain and body while providing support for family members and caregivers. Our program options include: Assessment Program, Interventions Program, Wellness Program, and Home Wellness Program.

Check out the following article from the Portland Press Herald outlines the benefits of brainy activity:

http://www.pressherald.com/news/nationworld/brainy-activity-can-fight-alzheimers-disease_2012-01-31.html?searchterm=alzheimers+brainy+activity

For an appointment or to learn more about this unique program, Living Well with Dementia, please contact Angela Hunt at 221-7000 or ahunt@thecedarsportland.org

Best Senior Care: Skilled Nursing Care at The Cedars

Katharine — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:54:17 +0000

The staff and management at The Cedars have a constant eye towards providing excellent care in a compassionate environment. Making this commitment to ourselves and the community requires continual insight and self-evaluation. For the past ten years, The Cedars has held an annual Family Forum which brings together the families and friends of our Skilled Care residents. The Forum creates the opportunity for us to hear from our family members what is working well for their loved ones and where we can make improvements.

The general topics of discussion stem from results of a survey that are sent to residents and families in advance of the event. Through thoughtful design, we ensure that the Forum facilitators create an open and encouraging atmosphere for discussion. The feedback and suggestions we receive are highly valued and ultimately incorporated into our planning processes and program development.

This year, follow up meetings with the family members are being held in each of our Neighborhoods. That way, we can more clearly focus our concentrations on the specific needs and desires of the residents who are living within the same intimate community. In addition, the direct care staff is able to respond and provide input to program changes.

Let us know if you would like to learn more about The Cedars and our unique approach to senior care.

Caring for Aging Parents: Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing

Kimberly — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:31:39 +0000

Intergenerational Programs offer younger and older generations an opportunity to interact.

By Kimberly Doyon, CTRS, Life Enrichment Coordinator

At The Cedars we offer an intergenerational program for our assisted living and skilled care residents where we sponsor a play group for children aged six months to one year. (As some of you know, there has been a baby boom amongst our staff here in the last year and we are very excited to share our beautiful children with the residents.)

The play group is geared toward residents with dementia and/or depression. and provides emotional support, mental and sensory stimulation and addresses social roles. The children help promote meaning and purpose for the elderly who are battling with depression and dementia.

The play group is held in the Therapeutic Recreation Room located on the first floor of the Hoffman Center. If you know anyone with a small child that would like to join this play group please have them contact Kim Doyon directly by calling 207-221-7018.

Retirement Living in Maine: Winter Comfort Foods

Katharine — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:57:31 +0000

Dining at The Atrium at The Cedars

The Atrium’s chef Heath Pollard enjoys preparing a variety of nutritious and delicious dishes for the members of our independent living community. During the winter months he receives several requests for his satisfying comfort foods. Here is Heath’s recipe for Macaroni and Cheese – which is a favorite dish for our members during the colder months in Maine!

The Atrium’s Macaroni and Cheese:

For the Topping:

1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs
1 ½ cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

For the Macaroni and Sauce:

1 stick unsalted butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups whole milk
6 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound elbow macaroni

Preheat oven to 400°F

Topping:
Melt butter, then combine with bread crumbs and topping cheeses in a bowl

Sauce:
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat and stir in flour. Cook the mixture, for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, then whisk in milk. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking constantly, then simmer, whisking occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in the cheeses, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until smooth. Remove from heat and cover surface of sauce.

Make Macaroni:
Cook macaroni in a pasta pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water and drain macaroni. Stir together macaroni, reserved cooking water, and sauce in a large bowl. Transfer to 2 buttered 2-quart shallow baking dishes.

Sprinkle topping evenly over macaroni and bake until golden and bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

Katharine — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:08:05 +0000

Winter Open House at The Cedars

Thursday February 16, 2012 from 2PM to 5PM

Please join us at The Atrium for tours of the community, good company and delicious treats prepared by our chef.

For more information call 207-221-7100

Best Retirement Community: Yoga at The Cedars

Sharon — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 09:16:45 +0000

Jessica McKneally, yoga instructor at The Cedars

Posted by Sharon Leddy-Smart, Lifestyle Coordinator at The Atrium, independent living at The Cedars.

“TAKE A DEEP BREATH.”

That’s where Jessica McKneally, BA, RYT, yoga instructor for The Cedars, begins her chair yoga class each week. Her students find their chairs and begin to stretch their bodies, focus their minds and find their centers. During the long Maine winters, yoga in the sunlight is a deep breath of fresh air.

Yoga classes designed especially for seniors are just one of the many holistic wellness options available to The Cedars community. All winter long, members of The Atrium and The Osher Inn practice tai chi, work out in the gym or in water aerobics and swam laps in the pool. Patients in The Sam L. Cohen Rehabilitation Center gain strength and mobility through therapeutic exercises in the spacious, sunny therapy gym. Delicious, heart-healthy menu choices, wellness lectures and round-the-clock access to medical care are just some of the ways The Cedars helps all our members, patients and residents care for their physical well being.

But wellness is more than physical — it is mental, and spiritual. “Many of the chronic ailments associated with the aging process are the result of stress, imbalance and disconnection,” explains Jessica. “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 life.”

Monthly calendars packed with cultural, social and spiritual activities keep members of The Cedars community vibrant and connected. For the most important aspect of wellness is community — rich lives shared with good friends. This is one of the reasons why Jessica will end this yoga session by instructing her students to simply laugh, as hard as they can.

As giggles turn into rollicking bouts of laughter, everyone in the room is completely relaxed, totally renewed and feeling great. Namaste.

Best Senior Living Community – Kathy Callnan

Kathy — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:04:19 +0000

Posted by Kathryn Callnan, President and CEO at The Cedars, Southern Maine’s premier retirement community.

I have been reflecting on my thirty-plus years with this wonderful organization. I came to The Cedars as a nurse, and I still believe that the compassion and comfort we offer Maine’s seniors and their families is still our greatest strength.

I am so proud of our rich history, the wide range of living choices we provide as well as the quality of care and service for which we continue to be celebrated today. There is no place in all of Maine like The Cedars. We set the standard in senior living choices.

As a nonprofit, mission-driven organization, we are constantly confronted with the harsh realities of today’s fiscal climate. More and more, we are forced to make difficult choices between our well intentioned aspirations and the rapidly growing costs of maintaining basic services for our seniors as they age.

And so we depend on you, our community, to help us bridge that gap. As we have come to you with plans for innovations in care and investments in wellness, you have provided us the critical resources we need. Most recently, you have stepped up to the challenge of providing a personalized assisted living residence that completes our “circle of care”. The 2008 opening of The Osher Inn achieved a goal we have held for many years — but that could not have been realized without community-wide help.

And so whether you are a senior considering an independent lifestyle at The Atrium or healing at The Sam L. Cohen Rehabilitation Center, or you are struggling with difficult choices facing an aging parent or loved one who may require assisted living at The Osher Inn or services at the Skilled Care Center, The Cedars will always be there for you. I invite you to take a tour of our lovely campus and see for yourself. The Cedars is truly your community.