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Health and Wellness: Taking Care of Our Hearts February is Health Healthy Month and a great opportunity to take inventory of our heart wellness. As we age our hearts become less efficient and have to work harder to pump the blood. Here are several ways we can promote heart health taken from livestrong.com. If you have any questions about healthy living, stop in and see Sharon Leddy-Smart Lifestyle Coordinator at The Atrium at The Cedars. Exercise: Exercise is related to your cardiovascular health, and as an older person it’s important for you to be active. Exercise 30 minutes daily, even breaking it into three 10-minute sessions. Even moderate exercise, such as brisk walking 30 minutes daily, provides many benefits to your heart health. Exercise can improve circulation, help you lose weight, aid in smoking cessation, improve blood cholesterol levels, help manage stress, reduce coronary heart disease in women by...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Latest News.
Health and Wellness: November is Diabetes Awareness Month by Dianne Vigue, Resident Wellness Manager at The Osher Inn, assisted living at The Cedars Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. This high blood sugar produces the classical symptoms of frequent urination, frequent thirst and increased hunger. There are two main types of diabetes that affect seniors. Type I results from the body’s failure to produce insulin and requires the individual to inject insulin or wear and insulin pump. Type II results from insulin resistance, a condition in which cells fail to use insulin properly, which used to be called “non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus”. Both are chronic conditions and their accompanying complications can be treated and kept under control with the...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Latest News.
The Cedars Retirement Community incorporates wellness into all that we do – for our staff, members and residents. One of our newest outpatient programs, Living Well With Dementia offered from our Sam L. Cohen Rehabilitation Center, is gaining increased recognition. This past weekend, the Maine Occupational Therapy Association (MeOTA), honored our Angie Hunt with their OT Advocate Award, specifically for the work she has done to create Living Well With Dementia. Angie is the Executive Director of the Assisted Living, Rehabilitation Center and Skilled Care at The Cedars. Here is the letter that was submitted by Lisa Clark, Program Coordinator of Living Well With Dementia, to MeOTA: Angie (Hunt) is a physical therapist who is the Executive Director of The Cedars in Portland, Maine. The Cedars is a retirement community that offers a continuum of senior living options for elders: Independent Living, Assisted Living, Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Care. The Cedars’ philosophy revolves around...
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How will you spend time during your retirement? Will you delve into a lifelong interest or pursue a new one? At The Atrium at The Cedars retirement community, the members are mixing the old with the new. First-time endeavors include senior college courses, Tai Chi or yoga classes. For many at The Cedars, a lifelong interest is painting: portraits, landscapes, still life … anything. These members who make up our very own ‘artist’s colony’ just love to paint. At this week’s Fall Member Art Show, the proof was on the walls. The members living at The Atrium kindly shared their works, and the visitors, staff, and residents were amazed at the talent and perspectives of the residents at The Atrium. As passionate as they are, they were equally distinct. One member’s paintings evoke scenes from children’s literature, while another perfectly depicts Maine winters. The display provided insight into our...
Posted in our blog on by Angie& filed under Latest News.
The Healing Effects of Pet Therapy By Janine Fifield, Life Enrichment Assistant and Volunteer Coordinator at The Cedars Retirement Community “Love is the most important medicine and pets are one of nature’s best sources of affection.” – Anonymous Most of us are already aware of the wonderful benefits of being in the presence of our beloved pets. And here at The Cedars, we are honored to be a training community for local therapy dogs. On any given day, we have from one to five furry friends engaging with our residents and offering not only their unconditional love, but also their profound and medically proven healing effects. Residents in nursing communities who have regular visits from pets are more receptive to medical treatment and nourishment. It is also well established that touch is very important for our minds and spirits. For most people, the touch of an animal is safe, non-threatening...
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The residents and members of The Cedars are embarking on their second session of Resistance Training at The Atrium. Sharon Leddy-Smart, Lifestyle Coordinator and Personal Trainer, has completed the progress measurements following the first 12-week session, and the results are encouraging! Given that this program was new to so many, the response and interest were better than expected, and all of the participants report that they have seen improvements. The comments at our recent Member Meeting include: Overall sense of feeling better and having more energy Improved muscle strength and endurance Sleeping better Improved posture due to an increased awareness of sitting and standing up straight Increased range of motion and flexibility Sharon enjoys working with seniors and sees herself as a catalyst for our members and residents to feel better through exercise. During the third week of September, she conducted the Fullerton Fitness Assessments on all participants and...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Featured.
The Cedars growing outpatient program for those living in their homes with the early stages of dementia, Living Well with Dementia, is introducing a Memory Support Group for those with dementia and their family/friends. August 23 was our first group and proved to be a tremendous success. The facilitator, Lenora Trussell, did an outstanding job of discussing the goals of the program, some of the issues individuals find when living with dementia and current research aimed at slowing the progression of the symptoms. Lenora is a registered nurse who is also a story teller and educator, utilizing both facts and humor. She is an excellent speaker and facilitator – and we look forward to future support groups. The next group meets at The Cedars on Thursday September 13th at 4PM. For more information call 221-7150 or check our website for October’s meeting...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Featured.
With National Assisted Living Week upon us, The Osher Inn at The Cedars is embracing this year’s theme, “Art for the Ages.” The many special events we’ve scheduled for the week help us to say thank you to our residents, many of whom have made significant contributions to society as business people, civic leaders, firefighters, teachers, parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. Today The Osher Inn held its Resident Art Show which showcased our community members’ paintings, needlework, pottery, sculptures … and much more. As the week continues we have concerts, art shows, instructional workshops and a concert that promises to get our residents dancing! For more information about The Osher Inn and personalized assisted living, please call us at...
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The Cedars Retirement Community: CNBC.com Niche Retirement Community Just about every retirement community features activities and programs that emphasize wellness. The Cedars in Portland, Maine, is no exception. It emphasizes holistic wellness, which many baby boomers have pursued for decades. The community’s yoga program is taught by Jessica McKneally, who believes that yoga can help alleviate many of the health issues that older adults face. “Many of the chronic ailments associated with the aging process are the result of stress, imbalance and disconnection,”she says on the community’s website. “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...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Featured.
According to Carol Worthington, editor of Healthy Aging Magazine and director Health Aging, it’s never too late to “re-invent” yourself. September is Healthy Aging Month, an annual health observance designed to focus national attention on the positive aspects of growing older, and we take healthy aging very seriously here at The Cedars! Worthington explains, “We need to draw attention to the myths of aging, to shout out “Hey, its’ not too late to take control of your health, it’s never too late to get started on something new.’ To get started, here are some ideas from Health Aging Magazine to help you think outside of the box: Back to School – through Osher Lifelong Learning (we provide the transportation!) or attend more lectures at The Atrium Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow – older adults getting regular physical exercise are 60% less likely to get dementia as it increases oxygen to...
