Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Featured.
Today, The Cedars Retirement Community shared an interesting study on our FaceBook page which we found in the Huffington Post titled, “Doctor Empathy Linked With Better Patient Care”. We are proud to say that the benefit of empathy in patient care has been at the core of The Cedars community and mission. Interestingly, this emphasis is gaining traction beyond the nursing field. At The Cedars, students from the University of New England are starting a year-long learning experience with our community called their Interprofessional Geriatric Education Program (IGEP). Joe Wolfberg, M.S., Site-Coordinator for IGEP is hopeful that these scheduled interactions with our elder teachers will provide opportunities for clinical excellence, compassion and most certainly, empathy. This week, Physician Assistant and Pharmacy students are starting at The Atrium, independent living and in coming months they will spend time with seniors at The Osher Inn, assisted living and then at the...
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Help with Aging Parents: Four More Ways to Make the Most of Visits – Part III By Melanie Desjardins, Manager of Care Coordination at The Cedars The third part of our series on making the most of a visit with a loved on at The Cedars, senior living community. For more help, contact our Care Coordination department. 1. Have grandchildren bring or send along artwork, papers or projects from camp or school. The delight that many residents get from seeing the works of children is wonderful – and the children benefit as well, receiving input and kudos from older adults. 2. Plant and take care of an indoor/outdoor garden cart. Our outside patio is beautiful this time of year. Talk to the Life Enrichment staff for this activity. In addition, taking a leisurely stroll through our community pathways provide a great opportunity to enjoy the flora. 3. Do crossword or jigsaw...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Featured.
by Lisa L. Clark, MS, OTR/L, Program Coordinator of Living Well with Dementia “Living Well with Dementia” is a new program being offeredat The Cedars, for people with memory issues. Lisa is an occupational therapist who is the Program Coordinator for Living Well with Dementia. She has thirty years of experience working with people who are over 65. In the course of her career she has also provided services to people with dementia, to help them participate in activities that are meaningful for them. Lisa graduated from the University of New Hampshire with undergraduate and graduate degrees in Occupational Therapy. She has worked in many healthcare settings such as acute rehabilitation, outpatient rehabilitation, dementia care and consultation in Assisted Living, home health services, and acute hospital settings. Lisa has also taught at the University of Southern Maine for over 15 years, in their Occupational Therapy program at the Lewiston-Auburn campus. She...
Posted in our blog on by Angie& filed under Featured.
Recreation in the Neighborhoods By Kimberly Doyon, Director of Life Enrichment “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” –Margaret Mead The Cedars is at the forefront of an important cultural change, transforming our resident wings into person-centered “neighborhoods.” Recreation therapy plays an important role in this new model. Neighborhoods are distinct, home-like environments with central dining and activities rooms. Each wing/neighborhood will be staffed by cross-trained clinical and non-clinical staff. This enables our staff to get to know your loved ones personally, which in turn meets their unique needs more successfully. Because we know that residents in facilities with this culture have better quality of life, we are moving towards a more person-centered approach. And this means we are changing the way we plan, design and implement our daily activities. Our recreation...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Featured.
Life in the Neighborhood: Your Life Story Matters Kim Doyon, Life Enrichment Coordinator at The Cedars Life stories recognize the uniqueness of each person. Today the development and use of life stories is one important key to delivering person centered care at The Skilled Care Center. The Cedars staff believes that by placing the resident and their biography at the heart of care, we can better impact quality of life and care for our residents. Life story work is an activity that reviews the past experiences, life events and routines, and creates a biography of the person. The life story helps us understand the resident and will help to promote relationships and facilitate delivery of care. Many of our life enrichment activities are based on life stories and what residents deem as important. The Cedars asks the family members for help with the development of a life story for...
Posted in our blog on by Katharine& filed under Featured.
The holiday season is here and I have found in my family that finding the right gift for loved ones living in a Skilled Care Center is a challenge. Here are ideas that are some of the most thoughtful gifts you can give: 1) Scrapbook – a book of photos with labels of family names, events, dates, etc. is a wonderful gift for your loved one. Staff love to look through scrapbooks with our residents. It is a pleasure to get to know our residents better and a fun reminiscing activity for residents to share their lives with us. 2) Personalize – a pretty comforter that is machine washable is a nice gift to personalize and brighten your loved one’s room. Framing a family photo or creating a shadow box that reminds your loved one of home, a special event or vacation is a wonderful gift. If your loved...
