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Best Retirement Living: Sleep Study at The Osher Inn Assisted Living by Katie Druan, Life Enrichment Coordinator at The Osher Inn A good night’s sleep will cure most anything that ails you. It is a common experience that the way a person feels during the day is in direct relationship to the amount and quality of sleep that they had the night prior. To explore the topic further, The Osher Inn Assisted Living at The Cedars hosted Occupational Therapy students from the University of New England for a four session program that involved residents keeping a simple sleep log and having interactive discussions with the students about what can be done to improve the quality of sleep. The program is optional and open to all Osher Inn residents. After recording in their log, residents will have a better idea of their individual sleep patterns as well as learn tips...
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Partnering with the Friends School of Portland by Kimberly Doyon, Life Enrichment Coordinator at The Cedars The Life Enrichment Department at The Cedars is partnering with the Friends School of Portland to offer an exciting new, intergenerational program for the residents at the Skilled Care Center at The Cedars. On the first Wednesday of every month, 15 first and second grade students from Friends have been visiting with our nursing home residents to share the lessons they are learning in school. Examples include reading one on one, singing, drama skits and puppet shows, and games. Our goal has been to assure the same studentsmeet with the same residents each month so a therapeutic relationship can bemade and fostered. These friendly visits started in January, with each student arriving with a story that they had written about their lives which they then read to a resident. Over the past few months,...
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Members and Residents at The Cedars are finding that going back to school has its advantages. It allows them to pursue interests they’ve always had or to learn something new that they were curious about but never had time for. There is the added motivation, however, from studies that suggest learning may actually help them stave off cognitive decline such as Alzheimer’s disease. A recent article in the New York Times, Exercising an Aging Brain (March 8, 2012), states that many studies have found exercising the brain and being mentally active are associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Arthur Toga, a professor of neurology at the University of California, Los Angeles explains that by having aninteractive conversation, you are changing the circuitry of your brain becausethe activity requires the nerve cells in your brain to fire, thereby using energyand delivering more blood flow and oxygen to your...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Featured.
True Stories by Debby Paley, Volunteer at The Atrium Independent Retirement living at The Cedars In our True Stories group, we take turns telling stories from our lives. It turns out that story-telling as a social activity is making a comeback. There’s even a story-telling hour on Public Radio called “The Moth,” where people stand up at a microphone and tell their true stories. Two things got me interested in this. The first was the story-telling event thathappens three times a year at my daughter’s high school. Everyone (teenagers,parents, friends, teachers, the principal) is invited to stand up and tell astory. My other inspiration was my mother, Cabot Paley. She loved to listen tostories and to tell stories herself. She could weave an interesting story out of just about any everyday occurrence. We all have stories to tell, and in the True Stories group, we simply sit andshare them....
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Featured.
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...
