It’s called the long good-bye, and it is a journey that will change every person it touches. Dementia can be a terrifying diagnosis. Finding support can make all the difference when navigating the twists and turns of the disease. At The Cedars, we have created a space to come together and learn strategies, feel supported and develop lasting friendships My name is Susan, and I am a certified dementia practitioner and occupational therapist. I have worked with individuals living with dementia and their caregivers for more than twenty years. At our monthly dementia caregiver support group we come together as a team to not only listen to each other but to learn strategies and techniques. Understanding what’s causing challenging behaviors is the first step. Learning strategies and techniques is next. Everyone can ask questions and caregivers also learn from each other. Each month we cover a new topic with resources followed by an open discussion that provides an opportunity for questions about challenges caregivers are trying to navigate. Topics have included: “I...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
It’s called the long good-bye, and it is a journey that will change every person it touches. Dementia can be a terrifying diagnosis. Finding support can make all the difference when navigating the twists and turns of the disease. At The Cedars, we have created a space to come together and learn strategies, feel supported and develop lasting friendships My name is Susan, and I am a certified dementia practitioner and occupational therapist. I have worked with individuals living with dementia and their caregivers for more than twenty years. At our monthly dementia caregiver support group we come together as a team to not only listen to each other but to learn strategies and techniques. Understanding what’s causing challenging behaviors is the first step. Learning strategies and techniques is next. Everyone can ask questions and caregivers also learn from each other. Each month we cover a new topic with resources followed by an open discussion that provides an opportunity for questions about challenges caregivers are trying to navigate. Topics have included: “I...
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...
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...
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...