Strategies to Help Your Parents Feel at Home in a Retirement Community Moving your parent(s) into a retirement community can be a very difficult process. We’ve met with hundreds of families and have put together some of the best tips we’ve seen for children to make the transition easier. Your family worked together to help your aging parents make a big decision: moving into a retirement community, like assisted living or long- term skilled nursing care. Their lives are about to become safer, simpler, and more rewarding, and the transition to a retirement community does not need to be stressful. Our quick tips guide can get you started on moving elders with ease. Yes, moving a parent to a retirement community is a big change—a change for the better. These benefits include more opportunities to socialize, make new friends and engage in meaningful activities, with caring supportive staff...
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...
The Cedars staff take an empathetic, positive approach with our seniors experiencing memory loss. See how this process empowers seniors, preserves independence, and enhances our many other therapeutic treatments. What is person-centered care? We all want to make decisions about the way we live our lives and this desire does not diminish as we age. In fact, it intensifies! Even older adults who need assistance with the activities of daily living or who are experiencing memory loss want and need to express personal preferences, make real choices, and participate in meaningful activities. For many years, care for older adults in community settings has taken an institutional approach, where decisions about schedules and activities are made by staff rather than residents. Even when these decisions are made with good intentions, the institutional model of care makes older adults passive participants in their own lives. If you cannot control when you...
Trying to decide between assisted living and memory care for someone you love? We’ve put together some resources to help you make the best decision for your aging parents. The signs that an older adult is struggling to live independently at home can be subtle or they can be sudden and striking. Many seniors do not want to be a burden on their families and may try to hide that it is getting harder and harder for them to keep up with home maintenance, housekeeping, errands, or personal hygiene. Steep declines in health or repeated falls can signal a problem. Social isolation, depression, financial difficulties, forgetfulness, emotional outbursts, and poor personal hygiene, nutrition, or home maintenance are common signs, too. There are many reasons older adults may struggle to age in place, ranging from fading eyesight and stiffening joints to the onset of dementia. Understanding why your loved...
Over 25% of older adults will experience some form of memory loss by the time they are age 65 or older. While there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, there is great cause for hope. Today’s memory care options help older adults continue to live meaningful, comfortable, and productive lives. Start moving forward with these three quick Alzheimer’s caregiver tips from The Cedars. A diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease can feel devastating at first. Learning that someone you love is losing their cognitive functioning—their personalized ways of navigating the world—can be both frightening and sad. But you should know that incredible advances have been made in the way we see, care for, and connect with people with dementia, and you and your loved ones have more choices for high-quality memory care than ever before. The Cedars provides multiple levels of memory care for older adults, from...
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...
“We experience a deeper connection to events in our lives that we associate with music,” says Nick Viti, OTR/L, Manager of Life Enrichment at The Cedars. “Certain songs conjure up very rich and specific memories. For anyone experiencing memory loss, music is a powerful tool.” Thanks to a generous new grant from the nonprofit group Music and MemorySM, The Cedars has exciting new ways to use the power of music to help residents preserve and protect their memory, calm or uplift their emotions and enrich their lives. The Cedars received the entire Music and MemorySM program, an assortment of iPod shuffles, headphones and music downloads as part of the grant. Staff are working with families and loved ones to craft customized playlists for each resident, and to choose music connected with events in each resident’s life story. “Do you ever turn up the radio on your way to work...
For seniors in the early stages of memory loss still living at home, Mindful Connections provides powerful, personalized therapy to preserve independence, cognitive function, and hope. BY THE AGE OF 60, between 5 and 7 percent of people will suffer from some form of memory loss. By the age of 85, 50 percent will show symptoms of cognitive impairment, usually diagnosed as Alzheimer’s Disease. Whether it affects us or someone we love, dementia will touch all our lives—but The Cedars believes it should not define our lives. It’s a bold view, and it is true: people with memory loss have the ability to lead rich lives and make valuable contributions to their community. Our newest community-based program, Mindful Connections, proves this every day. Using forward-thinking therapies rooted in research and best practices and customized for each patient’s unique life experiences and personal preferences, we support seniors with memory loss...
What can an art therapy program for seniors with dementia teach all of us? All the participants in this Opening Minds through Art (OMA) class sing “You Are My Sunshine” as sunlight pours across worktables and paint is poured into palettes. Before the studio work begins, Pamela Moulton, artist in residence, sparks curiosity and delight with a performance art piece. “I want to wake us all up,” Pamela explains, showing off her vibrant hat and whimsical apron. “Intergenerational play infuses all my art. We all crave that joy.” It’s true. Smiles are everywhere as the artists, who are residents of The Cedars with dementia, confer with their personal facilitators, undergraduate students from the University of New England (UNE). While the seniors learn today’s art technique, the students learn about therapeutic work with seniors. And as the works progress, students express sincere admiration and help each artist choose a title...
Strategies to Help Your Parents Feel at Home in a Retirement Community Moving your parent(s) into a retirement community can be a very difficult process. We’ve met with hundreds of families and have put together some of the best tips we’ve seen for children to make the transition easier. Your family worked together to help your aging parents make a big decision: moving into a retirement community, like assisted living or long- term skilled nursing care. Their lives are about to become safer, simpler, and more rewarding, and the transition to a retirement community does not need to be stressful. Our quick tips guide can get you started on moving elders with ease. Yes, moving a parent to a retirement community is a big change—a change for the better. These benefits include more opportunities to socialize, make new friends and engage in meaningful activities, with caring supportive staff...
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...
The Cedars staff take an empathetic, positive approach with our seniors experiencing memory loss. See how this process empowers seniors, preserves independence, and enhances our many other therapeutic treatments. What is person-centered care? We all want to make decisions about the way we live our lives and this desire does not diminish as we age. In fact, it intensifies! Even older adults who need assistance with the activities of daily living or who are experiencing memory loss want and need to express personal preferences, make real choices, and participate in meaningful activities. For many years, care for older adults in community settings has taken an institutional approach, where decisions about schedules and activities are made by staff rather than residents. Even when these decisions are made with good intentions, the institutional model of care makes older adults passive participants in their own lives. If you cannot control when you...
Trying to decide between assisted living and memory care for someone you love? We’ve put together some resources to help you make the best decision for your aging parents. The signs that an older adult is struggling to live independently at home can be subtle or they can be sudden and striking. Many seniors do not want to be a burden on their families and may try to hide that it is getting harder and harder for them to keep up with home maintenance, housekeeping, errands, or personal hygiene. Steep declines in health or repeated falls can signal a problem. Social isolation, depression, financial difficulties, forgetfulness, emotional outbursts, and poor personal hygiene, nutrition, or home maintenance are common signs, too. There are many reasons older adults may struggle to age in place, ranging from fading eyesight and stiffening joints to the onset of dementia. Understanding why your loved...
Over 25% of older adults will experience some form of memory loss by the time they are age 65 or older. While there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, there is great cause for hope. Today’s memory care options help older adults continue to live meaningful, comfortable, and productive lives. Start moving forward with these three quick Alzheimer’s caregiver tips from The Cedars. A diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease can feel devastating at first. Learning that someone you love is losing their cognitive functioning—their personalized ways of navigating the world—can be both frightening and sad. But you should know that incredible advances have been made in the way we see, care for, and connect with people with dementia, and you and your loved ones have more choices for high-quality memory care than ever before. The Cedars provides multiple levels of memory care for older adults, from...
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...
“We experience a deeper connection to events in our lives that we associate with music,” says Nick Viti, OTR/L, Manager of Life Enrichment at The Cedars. “Certain songs conjure up very rich and specific memories. For anyone experiencing memory loss, music is a powerful tool.” Thanks to a generous new grant from the nonprofit group Music and MemorySM, The Cedars has exciting new ways to use the power of music to help residents preserve and protect their memory, calm or uplift their emotions and enrich their lives. The Cedars received the entire Music and MemorySM program, an assortment of iPod shuffles, headphones and music downloads as part of the grant. Staff are working with families and loved ones to craft customized playlists for each resident, and to choose music connected with events in each resident’s life story. “Do you ever turn up the radio on your way to work...
For seniors in the early stages of memory loss still living at home, Mindful Connections provides powerful, personalized therapy to preserve independence, cognitive function, and hope. BY THE AGE OF 60, between 5 and 7 percent of people will suffer from some form of memory loss. By the age of 85, 50 percent will show symptoms of cognitive impairment, usually diagnosed as Alzheimer’s Disease. Whether it affects us or someone we love, dementia will touch all our lives—but The Cedars believes it should not define our lives. It’s a bold view, and it is true: people with memory loss have the ability to lead rich lives and make valuable contributions to their community. Our newest community-based program, Mindful Connections, proves this every day. Using forward-thinking therapies rooted in research and best practices and customized for each patient’s unique life experiences and personal preferences, we support seniors with memory loss...
What can an art therapy program for seniors with dementia teach all of us? All the participants in this Opening Minds through Art (OMA) class sing “You Are My Sunshine” as sunlight pours across worktables and paint is poured into palettes. Before the studio work begins, Pamela Moulton, artist in residence, sparks curiosity and delight with a performance art piece. “I want to wake us all up,” Pamela explains, showing off her vibrant hat and whimsical apron. “Intergenerational play infuses all my art. We all crave that joy.” It’s true. Smiles are everywhere as the artists, who are residents of The Cedars with dementia, confer with their personal facilitators, undergraduate students from the University of New England (UNE). While the seniors learn today’s art technique, the students learn about therapeutic work with seniors. And as the works progress, students express sincere admiration and help each artist choose a title...