Quarry Hill

CAMDEN, May 24, 2013 – Nationally known dementia authority Dr. Laurel Coleman, M.D., F.A.C.P., backed by experts from the Alzheimer’s Association, will anchor  “Memory Loss: What You Need to Know,” a comprehensive educational event, on Friday, June 21, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Pen Bay YMCA in Rockport. Open to all but specially designed for adults age 55-plus, the free event is part of Quarry Hill’s Adventures in Living Well series and will be cosponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association, Maine Chapter; Knox Center for Long Term Care; Knox County Community Health Coalition; Pen Bay YMCA; Penquis; Spectrum Generations; and Senior Medicare Patrol.

Organizers describe the half-day program as a unique, one-stop opportunity to absorb the latest information on Alzheimer’s and other forms of memory loss. Multiple sessions, presented by Dr. Coleman and representatives from the Alzheimer’s Association, will focus on everything from prevention and diagnosis to treatment and caregiver support.  An optional bonus session, during which Dr. Coleman will address the particular concerns of caregivers, will run from 1 to 2 p.m.

Program attendees will be treated to a complimentary breakfast and lunch.

Dr. Coleman is a board-certified geriatrician with special interests in Alzheimer’s disease and end-of-life care. Based at Maine Medical Center’s Geriatrics Division, she has worked closely with the Alzheimer’s Association’s Maine Chapter for 12 years, formerly serving as chair of the organization’s Program Committee and as president of its Board. She is known both state- and nationwide for her efforts to translate dementia research into lay language for the benefit of patients and families.

Registration is required for this special event. To sign up, please call Quarry Hill at

230-6114.

For information about future Adventures programs, call 230-6114 or visit www.quarryhill.org/news-and-events.

CAMDEN, May 10, 2013—Treasures from the sea are coming ashore at Quarry Hill as residents and staff members of the Camden older-adult community prepare to celebrate National Nursing Home Week, May 12–18.

Anchored by the theme “Building Community by the Sea,” the festivities will include a talk by local author Ray Perkins, on Monday, May 13, at 10 am, followed by a performance by Maine sea-chantey singer and storyteller Bob Webb on Friday, May 17, at 2 pm. Both events will take place in the Gardens nursing-care center on the first floor of the Anderson Inn at Quarry Hill.

Mr. Perkins will borrow from his book, A Taste for Salt Water, a collection of short stories based on his experiences on the waters off Rockland and in the Massachusetts Bay area.  Mr. Webb, whose CD “Bank Trollers: Songs of the Sea”  celebrates seafaring from the early 19^th century to modern times, will perform chanteys  and off-watch sailors’ favorites known as “forebitters,” accompanying himself on the guitar and banjo. Dubbed “King of the Chantey,” Webb has shared the stage with Doc Watson, Mike Seeger, and Gordon Bok, and other folk-music luminaries and has performed throughout Europe and the United Kingdom.

Other events planned for Nursing Home Week include a trip to the Seasoned Citizens Prom at Camden Hills Regional High School on Sunday, May 12, a special lunch at the Anderson Inn at noon on Tuesday, May 15, and a performance by pianist Arlene Gamble on Saturday, May 18, at 10 am in the Multipurpose Room in the Anderson Inn.

Residents’ family members are invited to attend the talk by Mr. Perkins and/or the performances by Mr. Webb or Ms. Gamble. Admission will be free.

National Nursing Home Week is sponsored annually by the American Health Care Association as a way of honoring nursing home residents as well as the family members, employees, and volunteers who enrich their lives.

Quarry Hill

Quarry Hill is celebrating its tenth anniversary as Midcoast Maine’s premier extended-care retirement community. It is a member of the Pen Bay Healthcare family of services, which also includes Pen Bay Medical Center, Kno-Wal-Lin Home Care and Hospice, and the Knox Center for Long Term Care. Through these organizations, and with a staff of more than 100 outstanding physicians and more than 1,500 healthcare professionals, we are able to provide the people of Midcoast Maine with a continuum of both routine and specialty patient-centered medical services.

Among the gifts that volunteers received in recognition of their service were these cupcakes from LAUGH Loud SMILE Big in Rockport.

CAMDEN, May 8, 2013—Quarry Hill honored more than 100 area citizens, including dozens of its own residents, at volunteer-recognition events held on April 23 and May 2 at the Camden retirement community’s Anderson Inn.

A tradition observed each year in conjunction with National Volunteer Week, the events celebrate those who donate their time and talents in support of Quarry Hill activities and programs. This year’s recognition events included a buffet brunch and an afternoon tea.

All told, volunteers donated an estimated 1,631 hours of service to Quarry Hill in 2012, according to activities director and volunteer coordinator Noreen Clark. Volunteers from the wider community helped with field trips and other functions, provided entertainment, played games with residents, read to those with poor vision, brought pets to visit, provided computer help, conducted prayer groups, and offered simple companionship. Residents themselves volunteered by serving on committees, assisting with office tasks, helping with activities, opening their homes to prospective residents, and performing a wide range of good deeds. One resident made birthday cards for neighbors on her floor; others mended clothes for free or helped care for communally owned pets.

Several resident volunteers spoke about their experiences as volunteers. Louise Hughes described volunteering as a good way for those new to a community to “get acquainted with people, places, and things.” Martha Martens commented that “community is volunteering” and said it includes the simple things that neighbors do for neighbors.

Addressing the May 2 gathering, Clark paid special tribute to the Ladies Auxiliary, which has in recent years held its regular meetings at Quarry Hill. She praised the organization for its contributions to local healthcare and thanked its members for their volunteer service to Quarry Hill residents.

“Their philosophy has always been to do whatever they can to improve our residents’ quality of life.” said Clark.

Quarry Hill

Quarry Hill is celebrating its tenth anniversary as Midcoast Maine’s premier extended-care retirement community. It is a member of the Pen Bay Healthcare family of services, which also includes Pen Bay Medical Center, Kno-Wal-Lin Home Care and Hospice, and the Knox Center for Long Term Care. Through these organizations, and with a staff of more than 100 outstanding physicians and more than 1,500 healthcare professionals, we are able to provide the people of Midcoast Maine with a continuum of both routine and specialty patient-centered medical services.

CAMDEN, May 1, 2013 – Three teams representing Quarry Hill are asking for pledges as they prepare to participate in Bowl for Kids’ Sake, a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Midcoast Maine, on Saturday, May 8, at Point Lookout in Northport. Quarry Hill staff members will play on teams dubbed “Bob’s Angels” and “Mixed Nuts,” while staff members’ children participate under the team name “Lucky Strikes.”

The upcoming event will be the first time that Quarry Hill has taken part in the annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake competition. Donations will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters’ efforts to make a lasting difference in the lives of children who are struggling socially or academically by matching them with caring, responsible mentors.

In 2012, money raised by the event enabled Big Brothers Big Sisters to assist some 560 area young people—the largest number in the organization’s 35-year history.

To make a pledge to “Bob’s Angels,” please call team captain Bob McKeown, 230-6106; for “Mixed Nuts” or “Lucky Strikes,” contact Doug Gilson, 763-3436.

CAMDEN, April 19, 2013 – April is National Occupational Therapy (OT) Month, and Quarry Hill residents and staff are marking the occasion by paying tribute to the Camden older-adult community’s five professional OTs.

In the spotlight are Quarry Hill occupational therapists Michele Farrell Oxton, OTR, Ann Smith, OTR, Sunny Bolduc, OTR, and Deb Harbaugh, OTR and occupational therapy assistant Allyn Eldridge, COTA. Taken together, the five represent over 70 years of experience as rehabilitation professionals.

According to the American Occupational Therapy Association, “Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants help people across the lifespan participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations). As members of Quarry Hill’s onsite Rehabilitation Services Department, OTs play a pivotal role in helping skilled-nursing patients regain the skills they need to resume their normal, day-to-day activities and provide supports for older adults who are coping with a wide range of physical and cognitive changes.

To learn more about Quarry Hill’s skilled care and rehabilitation services, call 207-230-6116 or visit the Skilled Care and Rehabilitation page of our website.

CAMDEN, April 18, 2013 – Quarry Hill is working with the Knox County Sheriff’s Department, local law enforcement, and the Rockport law firm of Briggs & Wholey, LLC, to promote a nationwide safety initiative known as the Yellow Dot program. The program will begin locally on Saturday, April 27, with enrollment events planned at five area locations.

The Yellow Dot program is designed to give emergency-response personnel access to drivers’ important health information so they can provide appropriate care in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic automobile accident or other medical emergency. Enrollees fill out a form listing their key medical and emergency-contact information and store it in their vehicles’ glove compartment. They also receive a yellow sticker to place in their cars’ rear window. In the event of an emergency, the sticker tells first responders to check the car’s glove compartment for the information they need to provide optimal care.

The April 27 enrollment events will run from 10 am to 2 pm at Rockland City Hall, Lowe’s in Thomaston, the Union Fire Department, and the Warren Fire Department, and from 9 am to 2 pm at the Camden First Aid Station on John Street in Camden. Enrollment activities will continue at various locations throughout the year, with permanent enrollment sites to be established.

With the introduction of the initiative in Cumberland County last October, Maine became the 33^rd state in the nation to offer Yellow Dot. Participation is free of charge and completely voluntary, and only information pertinent to enrollees’ care in an emergency is collected.

Further information and enrollment details are available through local police departments, through Briggs & Wholey at 596-1099, and at info@yellowdotknoxme.org.

CAMDEN, April 19, 2013 – Tips for outsmarting arthritis will be the focus of an upcoming educational program, set for Monday, May 6, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Quarry Hill in Camden. Planned in observance of National Arthritis Month, the event is part of Quarry Hill’s “Going Strong” series on health topics of particular interest to adults age 55-plus.

Local experts Deirdre Gramas, MD, of Midcoast Rheumatology, and Pauline Wilder, RN, MSN, AHN-BC of Holistic Health and Healing say program attendees will gain a deeper understanding of arthritis, which directly affects an estimated 50 million Americans. The presenters promise to outline strategies to help those living with the condition decrease pain, increase mobility, prevent and control symptoms, and improve quality of life.

Admission will be free; however, seating is limited, and registration is required. To sign up, call Quarry Hill at 230-6114 or email qhinfo@penbayhealthcare.org.

CAMDEN, April 12, 2013 – The results of satisfaction surveys administered in 2012 position Quarry Hill well within the top 10 percent of senior-living centers of its kind nationwide, according to Robert McKeown, executive director of the Camden retirement community. The annual evaluation was conducted by the independent applied-research firm My InnerView.

McKeown said that fully 100 percent of independent-living and long-term-care residents who participated in last year’s surveys answered “excellent” or “good” to key questions indicating their overall satisfaction with Quarry Hill and the likelihood that they would recommend the community to others.

Ninety-five percent of those who received short-term nursing care at Quarry Hill in 2012 answered “excellent” or “good” to the same questions, as did a similar percentage of participating assisted-living residents.

McKeown said he and administrator Mary Sargent were pleased not only by the percentages themselves but by the improvement that they represent.

“Quarry Hill has always performed exceptionally well” in the annual surveys, he said, “but our goal each year is to do even better than the year before. This year’s results show we met that goal.”

Sargent called the 2012 report “a fine birthday present” for Quarry Hill in its 10^th anniversary year. She attributed the results to “the dedication and expertise of our care and support staffs.”

But both McKeown and Sargent stressed that the organization hasn’t let the good news go to its head, noting that an improvement plan, based on the 2012 report, is already in effect.

“There’s always room for improvement, and it’s only by embracing residents’ and families’ suggestions that we can be sure that the changes we make over time are in line with the needs and desires of the people we’re here to serve,” commented McKeown.

Based in Lincoln, Neb., My InnerView provides hundreds of skilled nursing, assisted living, and senior-living centers across the United States with data for measuring, comparing, and enhancing performance.

CAMDEN, April 12, 2013 – Susan Folk, RN, Pen Bay Healthcare’s inpatient palliative care coordinator, will offer members of the area’s Parkinson’s Support Group a look at palliative care options at the group’s next meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, May 7, from 12:00 to 1:45 pm on the first floor of the Anderson Inn at Quarry Hill in Camden.

Folk argues that palliative care—often confused with hospice care—can work hand-in-hand with aggressive treatment for any condition, such as Parkinson’s, for which there is no known cure. Her presentation will show how a palliative approach can complement a patient’s overall treatment plan by helping to manage symptoms and improve quality of life.

Support group meetings take place regularly on the first Tuesday of each month, from 12:00 to 1:45 p.m., at the Anderson Inn. Meetings are free and offer learning and fellowship to all those living with Parkinson’s disease as well as their loved ones and caregivers. Attendees are generally encouraged to bring bag lunches; Quarry Hill provides beverages and desserts.

For information about the topics planned for future meetings, or to learn more about the group in general, contact Carol Witham at 236-0844.

CAMDEN, March 15, 2013 – Neurologist Dr. Stephanie Lash, MD, of Pen Bay Neurology will speak at next gathering of the area’s Parkinson’s Disease Support Group. The meeting is on Tuesday, April 2, from noon-1:45 p.m. on the first floor of the Anderson Inn at Quarry Hill in Camden.

In honor of National Parkinson’s Awareness Month in April, Dr. Lash will share the latest information on diagnosing the disease and monitoring the progression of its symptoms.

Parkinson’s Support Group meetings take place regularly on the first Tuesday of each month from 12-1:45 p.m. at the Anderson Inn. Meetings are free and offer learning and fellowship to all those living with Parkinson’s disease as well as their loved ones and caregivers. Attendees are encouraged to bring bag lunches; Quarry Hill provides beverages and desserts.

For information about other scheduled topics or to learn more about the group, contact Carol Witham at 236-0844.

Quarry Hill

Quarry Hill is Midcoast Maine’s premier extended-care retirement community. It is a member of the Pen Bay Healthcare family of services, which also includes Pen Bay Medical Center, Kno-Wal-Lin Home Care and Hospice, and the Knox Center for Long Term Care. Through these organizations, and with a staff of more than 100 outstanding physicians and more than 1,500 healthcare professionals, we are able to provide the people of Midcoast Maine with a continuum of both routine and specialty patient-centered medical services.

To learn more about Quarry Hill, call 230-6116, or visit us on Facebook.

CAMDEN, March 8, 2013 – Quarry Hill in Camden and the Knox Center for Long Term Care in Rockland are honoring their social workers with a series of gifts, lunches, and other treats this month in celebration of National Social Work Month.

On duty at the two senior-services organizations under the Pen Bay Healthcare banner, a team of three professional social workers provides one-on-one support to hundreds of area elders and their families. The staff includes social services director Cheri Alexander, LSW, based at both Quarry Hill and the Knox Center; Janet O’Brien, LSW, at Quarry Hill; and Anne Norman, MSW, at the Knox Center.

On its website, the National Association of Social Workers notes “Weaving Threads of Resilience and Advocacy: The Power of Social Work” as the theme of Social Work Month 2013.

“Social Work is the profession of hope—fueled by resilience and advocacy,” the website states. “Social Workers matter because they help millions of struggling people every day dream differently” by reinforcing clients’ strengths with personal and public advocacy.

“The Social Work profession has a distinguished history of not only providing social safety nets to the most vulnerable,” the organization asserts, “but also challenging systems that impede social mobility.”

Quarry Hill

Quarry Hill and the Knox Center for Long Term Care are members of the Pen Bay Healthcare family of services, which also includes Pen Bay Medical Center and Kno-Wal-Lin Home Care and Hospice. Through these organizations, and with a staff of more than 100 outstanding physicians and more than 1,500 healthcare professionals, we are able to provide the people of Midcoast Maine with a continuum of both routine and specialty patient-centered medical services.

To learn more about Quarry Hill, call 230-6116, or us on Facebook.

To learn more about Knox Center for Long Term Care, call 594-6800, or visit www.penbayhealthcare.org/knoxcenter.

CAMDEN, FEBRUARY 5, 2013 – Hundreds of cherry-cheeked chili chuggers are chomping at their soup spoons for this weekend’s West Bay Rotary Chili Challenge, and Executive Chef John Roy of Quarry Hill in Camden and the Knox Center for Long Term Care in Rockland says he’s chipper about his chili’s chances.

“I’ll be entering my own version of a turkey chili with black beans, sour cream, and tomatillo salsa, plus a secret ingredient,” says Roy. “I’m optimistic that it’ll hit the right note for folks who love a good chili—spicy, but not too spicy.”

This year’s edition of the popular chill-chaser, heretofore known as the Chili & Chowder Challenge, is set for Saturday, February 9, at the Camden Snow Bowl, from 11 am to 1:30 pm. In 2013, the winter challenge, held in conjunction with the U.S. National Toboggan Championships, February 8–10 at the Snow Bowl, is for chili choosing only; a separate competition, chockfull of the area’s choicest chowders, is slated for late summer. Roy already has a chokehold on the title of chowder chair, having chipped in the first-place recipe four times in six years.

Per tradition, the top three chilis will be chosen by the tasting public and hold bragging rights for the year. Proceeds from the event benefit local nonprofits and other charitable causes.

Quarry Hill and the Knox Center for Long Term Care are members of the Pen Bay Healthcare family of services, which also includes Pen Bay Medical Center and Kno-Wal-Lin Home Care and Hospice. Through these organizations, and with a staff of more than 100 outstanding physicians and more than 1,500 healthcare professionals, we are able to provide the people of Midcoast Maine with a continuum of both routine and specialty patient-centered medical services.

CAMDEN, January 21, 2013 – One bakes a mean pizza. One got a college degree in shoeing horses. One can whistle as loudly as a tea kettle. One once traveled the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Folks never know which of its collective—and sometimes slightly whacky— talents and experiences Quarry Hill’s Activities staff will draw on next to keep life interesting. But whatever happens, they can be sure it will be fresh, fanciful, and full of fun.

Celebrating National Activities Professionals Week, January 20–26, Quarry Hill honored Activities staffers Judy Cucinotta, Noreen Clark, and Patty Young (seated); Lisa Payson and Rachel Turner (standing); and Andrea Annis and Megin Chaples (not shown). Older-adult communities such as Quarry Hill define “activity” as “any endeavor, besides dressing, grooming, and other daily routines, that is intended to enhance a resident’s sense of well-being,” says department head Clark. And at Quarry Hill, it’s a nonstop effort, involving planning and implementation of everything from holiday parties to outdoor movie nights for residents ranging from independent living through long-term nursing care.

Quarry Hill

Quarry Hill is Midcoast Maine’s premier extended-care retirement community. It is a member of the Pen Bay Healthcare family of services, which also includes Pen Bay Medical Center, Kno-Wal-Lin Home Care and Hospice, and the Knox Center for Long Term Care. Through these organizations, and with a staff of more than 100 outstanding physicians and more than 1,500 healthcare professionals, we are able to provide the people of Midcoast Maine with a continuum of both routine and specialty patient-centered medical services.

To learn more about Quarry Hill, call 207-230-6116, or look us up on Facebook.

CAMDEN, October 29, 2012 – Nurse practitioner Sandra Cadwell, ANP, BC, has joined the practice of senior services physician specialist Dr. Richard Kahn, MD, at Quarry Hill in Camden and the Knox Center for Long Term Care in Rockland. Her arrival allows the practice to extend the benefits of onsite primary care to more residents of the two Pen Bay Healthcare older-adult communities.

Cadwell has devoted much of her career to caring for older adults in assisted living and nursing-care settings in Portland and Lewiston-Auburn. She has also worked as a nurse practitioner at St. Mary’s Medical Associates in Lewiston, at Central Maine Urology in Lewiston, and at Pine Tree Internal Medicine in Farmington and conducted Medicare health-risk assessments for Matrix Medical in Westfield, Mass.

The Auburn native graduated magnum cum laude from the University of Southern Maine with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. She holds a master’s degree in primary care nursing from Simmons College and is working toward a doctorate in nursing through the University of South Alabama.

The senior services physician specialist practice at Quarry Hill and the Knox Center offers residents a range of benefits, including the convenience of onsite care and swifter response to emergent medical concerns. Since its establishment two years ago, the service has helped curb unnecessary hospitalizations and reduce healthcare costs.

CAMDEN, July 16, 2012 – Chosen as official cake-cutter, Quarry Hill resident Hannah Williamson celebrated her own birthday and Quarry Hill’s at a June 28 barbecue on the grounds of the Camden adult community. Attended by residents, guests, and staff, the event marked the start of a year-long celebration of Quarry Hill’s tenth anniversary.

Speaking before the crowd, executive director Bob McKeown called attention to “Building Community,” the theme chosen for the anniversary. “Over the years, we’ve built close relationships—both within Quarry Hill and with individuals and organizations throughout the Midcoast,” he said.

Further events planned in observance of the anniversary include a variety of public programs as well as enhanced versions of Quarry Hill traditions. In the works are an August 12 residents’ arts-and-crafts exhibition, offerings in recognition of National Assisted Living Week in September, an educational series on chronic disease beginning this fall, a “Business After Hours” gathering in December in cooperation with Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce, and other programs aimed at reaffirming Quarry Hill’s commitment to the well-being of older adults.

Quarry Hill

Quarry Hill is Midcoast Maine’s premier extended-care retirement community. It is a member of the Pen Bay Healthcare family of services, which also includes Pen Bay Medical Center, Kno-Wal-Lin Home Care and Hospice, and the Knox Center for Long Term Care. Through these organizations, and with a staff of more than 100 outstanding physicians and more than 1,500 healthcare professionals, we are able to provide the people of Midcoast Maine with a continuum of both routine and specialty patient-centered medical services.

To learn more about Quarry Hill, call 230-6116 or visit us on Facebook.

CAMDEN, June 11, 2012 – Quarry Hill, the area’s only full-spectrum community devoted to the well-being of older adults, is planning a year’s worth of special events to celebrate its tenth anniversary.

Designed around a theme of “Building Community,” the activities and commemorations will include events open to the public as well as offerings exclusively for current and prospective residents and their families.

Executive director Robert McKeown said the theme of the anniversary reflects not only the growth of community within Quarry Hill, but also the organization’s emergence as a leader in the senior-services field, with an impressive history of collaboration with individuals and groups throughout midcoast Maine.

“Over the years, we’ve turned what was once mere bricks and mortar into a thriving community,” McKeown commented. “We’ve updated our buildings to make residents’ lives safer, more comfortable, and more uplifting. We’ve launched dozens of activities and traditions that give Quarry Hill a warmth and flavor all its own. We’ve even enlarged the very definition of community, by inviting visitors, encouraging volunteers, and collaborating with other caring organizations on programs designed to enhance the lives of mature adults.”

Quarry Hill’s “proud history” points, he said, to a promising future. He said the challenges ahead include planning for the arrival of the Baby Boomer generation, with its unique needs and expectations, and adjusting to the implications of nationwide healthcare reform.

Founded in 2002, Quarry Hill was conceived and developed by the Board of Trustees of Northeast Health (now Pen Bay Healthcare), a family of locally owned and managed health-related organizations. Construction of the community began in 2001 on land previously occupied by the Camden Health Care Center, which had served as both hospital and nursing home for local communities since 1960.

On opening day, May 30, 2002, Quarry Hill’s main building, the Anderson Inn, testified to the commitment and hard work of hundreds of community supporters and more than 300 builders, finishers, managers, contractors, and architects. Today, it houses independent and assisted living apartments, a memory-loss community, and a highly-regarded center for short- and long-term nursing care and rehabilitation and is home to some 200 older adults from all walks of life. Forty-five independent-living “cottages” complete the community’s continuum of senior-living options.

 Quarry Hill

Quarry Hill is Midcoast Maine’s premier extended-care retirement community. It is a member of the Pen Bay Healthcare family of services, which also includes Pen Bay Medical Center, Kno-Wal-Lin Home Care and Hospice, and the Knox Center for Long Term Care. Through these organizations, and with a staff of more than 100 outstanding physicians and more than 1,500 healthcare professionals, we are able to provide the people of Midcoast Maine with a continuum of both routine and specialty patient-centered medical services.