The Cedars recognized as an Age-Friendly Health System – Committed to Care Excellence

Posted by Megan Davis

Did you know that The Cedars is recognized by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement – IHI as an Age-Friendly Health System – Committed to Care Excellence. The Cedars is recognized by IHI as a leader in this rapidly growing movement committed to care of older adults that is:
• Guided by an essential set of age-friendly, evidence-based practices across the 4Ms (What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility);
• Causes no harms; and
• Is consistent with What Matters to the older adult and their family.
This is an exciting movement and there is much to be proud of as, together, we improve the health and health care of older adults.

Bates College Music Program

Posted by Megan Davis

Bates College students have started a music program for residents of The Cedars over the three-month spring semester. The students will develop and implement enriching and engaging musical programs each week that inspire our residents to explore their musical artistic capabilities and form social connectedness within their communities. Students will share their passion for music while providing residents the opportunity to actively participate, make choices, and express their musical artistic capabilities through educational classes, presentations, creative composition, and interactive performances. The first goal of this program is to provide student musicians the opportunity to bring their musical artistry to older adults, practice their music in a unique real-world setting and cultivate reciprocal and mutually beneficial partnerships with older adults. The second goal is to provide older adults an intergenerational experience by providing opportunities for older adults to share their artistic capabilities, wisdom, creative insight and life experiences. Each program will be tailored to each communities’ abilities.

 

Bates College | Lewiston, Maine

Music & Memory at The Cedars

Posted by Megan Davis

Music & Memory started with the understanding that music is deeply rooted in our conscious and unconscious brains. It becomes even more important if the functioning of the brain is deteriorating, as occurs in dementia and other types of cognitive and physical loss. Music can awaken the brain and with it, the memories that are associated with familiar songs.

The Music & Memory program helps people who suffer from a wide range of cognitive and physical challenges to find renewed meaning and connection in their lives through the gift of personalized music. The approach is simple and effective: Music playlists – containing the beloved songs from a person’s formative years – tap deep memories long attached to the brain and can bring listeners back to life, enabling them to feel like themselves again, to converse, socialize, and stay present.

Music & Memory has been a part of The Cedars since 2014, when our Activity Professionals were certified to lead the program and use it to help support our residents to help them feel connected not only to their past but keep them connected with the present. This past month, with our newest building, Sam L. Cohen fully opened; the program is being integrated to our new Activity team for use in their respective communities. Nick Viti, MOTR/L, CDP, PAC Certified Trainer was certified by Music & Memory and has seen first-hand the benefits of using the program. Once we know what our residents enjoy musically, with the aid of a questionnaire or simply being close to the resident, headphones (or a small speaker if headphones may be an irritant) are given to the resident as to not tether them to a single space. 

We happily continue our partnership with the Music & Memory Program to enrich the lives of our residents at The Cedars through music.

Visit their website: Music & Memory (musicandmemory.org)

 

Chaplain Services at The Cedars

Posted by Megan Davis

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 ancient Hebrew parable about a traveler in the desert who stops by an abandoned well, she brought sand, carefully wrapped and spread on a cloth, along with a miniature well and bucket.) Her goal is always to provide a welcoming environment that supports sharing about those existential human matters that are both ordinary and significant.  And she is always open to guidance from participants about their needs and interests.

 

Tucker’s Taphouse Partnership with The Cedars

Posted by Megan Davis

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.

Winter Blues? Helpful tips for Seasonal Depression.

Posted by Megan Davis

Winter blues? Helpful tips for seasonal depression 

 

Fatigue, depression, hopelessness, and social withdrawal. If you are experiencing these symptoms, you may be struggling with Seasonal Affective Disorder. Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is sometimes referred to as Seasonal Depression. It is a real struggle, and, for some, it can be debilitating. People typically develop symptoms of SAD during the fall and winter months. Although there is no definitive answer why some develop SAD, it is said to be linked to shorter days and less exposure to sunlight. This lack of sun is said to cause a chemical change in our brains. That, coupled with unpredictable weather, less social activities, and the stress of the holidays, can certainly lead someone to feel less than their best.

When it comes to your mental and physical health you should consult a health care professional before trying any new form of therapy, medication, or exercise.

Some safe and helpful tips you can try at home that may help combat the symptoms of SAD:
Vitamin D and fresh air. Even just a few minutes a day of fresh air and sun has loads of benefits. If it isn’t safe to venture outdoors, even spending time near a large window allowing the sunlight to hit you helps.  Light therapy such as red-light therapy is becoming more accessible and can be done in the privacy of your own home.

Exercise. 20-30 minutes of daily physical activity is recommended to combat seasonal depression. If you can’t attend an exercise class, a walk is terrific exercise. Atrium tip: walking in our pool! The windows offer terrific light exposure and walking in the pool is easy on your joints. Two birds, one stone!

Try a new hobby: Having something new to focus on from your usual routine can help take your mind off the doldrum of this quieter season. It’s a great time to learn a new language or read a book you’ve been putting off. Perhaps you can try a new craft like knitting or attend an art class? Shaking up your routine can help! We are currently offering a Spanish language course three times a week!

Ask for help: If you truly feel like you can’t shake your feelings of sadness and struggle to get through your day, please consult a health care provider. They could provide more medically necessary treatments. Resources for Older Adults | SAMHSA

Opening Minds Through Art at The Cedars

Posted by Megan Davis

Opening Minds Through Art (OMA)
Building Bridges Across Age and Cognitive Barriers through Art

The Cedars has completed its ninth year of collaboration with Opening Minds Through Art. Opening Minds Through Art (OMA) is an award-winning, evidence-based, intergenerational art making program for people with Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia. It is designed to help build a society that values all people without regard to age or cognitive status. This art program promotes social engagement which provides creative self-expression opportunities. OMA also provides staff with opportunities to build close relationships with people with dementia. The Cedars has several OMA trained facilitators on staff to help support our residents.

For more information about the OMA program visit https://scrippsoma.org/.

The Cedars: Innovations and New Advances

Posted by Katharine

The Cedars develops new programs and technologies, advances critical research, and expands person-centered care.
Here are just a few examples:

Advancing Clinical Excellence
The Cedars Skilled Nursing was one of only 500 programs nationwide recognized by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement as an Age-Friendly Health System Committed to Care Excellence, a national initiative to improve quality of care for older adults.

Advancing Programs for Residents
As part of our diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion program, The Cedars partnered with the Portland Museum of Art to provide the first museum-based art program for people living with dementia and their care partners, a creative, supportive way to connect with their greater community.

Advancing Research
The Cedars partnered with the University of New England (UNE) in a groundbreaking study of people living with dementia to explore best practices for engagement and growth, and to change perceptions about memory loss.

Advancing Workforce Development
The Cedars joined the Harold Alfond Center for Advancement of Maine’s Workforce, Jobs for Maine Graduates, and Southern Maine Community College in a pilot program for students facing barriers to education, offering new Mainers and new graduates a successful career in healthcare.

 

A Message from Kathryn Callnan, Pres. & CEO: Transforming Aging Takes All of Us

Posted by Katharine

September 2023

THE CEDARS CONTINUES to take an innovative leadership role in older adult living and healthcare in Portland and throughout Maine. Our commitment to the people we serve, our amazing staff, and the community leaders who help guide us never wavers. We are extraordinarily proud of how our community has responded to the international health crisis, COVID-19, we have all faced.

We have great optimism about the future and would like to reflect on The Cedars recent accomplishments. Since the Grand Opening of the Sam L. Cohen Households in March 2021, the transformation to person-centered care has been incredibly successful. In the Households, residents live life their way in a place they call home.

This experience has led the leadership to commit to creating more Households in the future. The Cedars has advanced from its well-earned reputation as a top performing care community to a nationally recognized research institution informing and leading the field nationwide with person-centered care, best practices, and innovative translational care advances.

Over the last few years, the University of Maine Center on Aging and The Cedars collaborated on a project funded by The Mayer-Rothschild Foundation for the creation of a designation of excellence in person-centered care. Additionally, The Cedars implemented a research project with The University of New England, College of Osteopathic Medicine, to study Optimal Engagement for People Living with Dementia. Both research projects will have national influence and help change the face of quality care provided for older adults across the nation.

As the effects of the pandemic wane, we have redoubled our commitment to re-engaging and connecting with community partners to support innovative, person-centered programs for older adults. We continue to surpass the traditional standards, providing intergenerational, inclusive programs in cooperation with colleges and universities, the Portland Museum of Art, the Maine Jewish Museum, and many other organizations throughout the Greater Portland area and across the United States.

Thanks to our donors, The Cedars continues to lead the way forward, being a premier provider of living options, healthcare, and advocacy for older adults. With many exciting and innovative projects underway and in the planning stages, The Cedars continues to push the boundaries when it comes to providing the best-in-class services it has been known for in Portland and Maine for nearly a century.

Kathryn Callnan, President and CEO
Richard Borts, Chair, Board of Directors

 

National Research Project: Optimal Engagement for People Living with Dementia

Posted by Katharine

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 care partners.