Valentine's Day

Our residents were so excited for a Valentine’s visit to Grace Small Wonders Day Care. Our friends at Grace always match our enthusiasm with happy smiles and excitement. The children had prepared dancing and singing entertainment for us as we tapped our feet and sang along with them. After their beautiful performance they started a hug line and gave each and every one of our residents a hand-made Valentine Wreath and cards, as big Valentine hug. The visit ended with cookies being handed out to our little sweethearts that Juniper had baked for them. As our small wonders ate their cookies we all talked about our next anticipated visit. We can’t wait!!

Awaken Your Passion: February Events

This month at Juniper Village we continue our Creative Expressions Series with a focus on Art.

Creating art for many of our seniors has been a lifelong passion, for others it may have been a casual hobby or serious vocation. Whatever the reason, art has substantial benefits to our bodies, minds and spirits! In Successful Aging, John W. Rowe, MD, and Robert L. Kahn, PhD, discuss key aspects of successful aging: low risk of disease, high mental and physical functioning, and being actively engaged in life. Expressive art activities promote active engagement in life in positive, healthy, and fulfilling ways - in other words, nurturing the spirit of life. Recent studies further indicate that older adults who participate in art programs have fewer doctor visits, use less medication, and experience a lower rate of depression – all resulting in lower healthcare costs.

Our fabulous activity offerings this month include our Art Without Boundaries presentation with our special guest speaker as we learn the therapeutic benefits Art has on our body and minds on February 19^th from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm; or our Finding the Artist In You event as we sip wine and paint one of a kind wine glasses, so let your hidden talents flow as our special guest artist, teaches us how to tap into the artist in each of us in what is guaranteed to be a relaxing fun time on February 26^th from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm (RSVP to 239-542-3121 by February 20^th).

Look through our calendar and plan to join us this month and “Awaken Your Passion” as we explore various mediums to expression through weekly art programs and visits to local art museums. Or, if art isn’t your thing, tailgate with us during the Super Bowl, await the Ground Hog’s prediction, our join in one of our festive celebrations on Valentine’s Day, Presidents Day or Mardi Gras.

Juniper Village at Cape Coral: Our Clinical Outcomes Speak forThemselves

We want to be your partner of choice in the new shared savings environment. At Juniper Village at Cape Coral, we have been collecting critical data for nearly 10 years. For example, we closely monitor residents to assure successful returns from either the hospital or rehabilitation setting.

The ability to manage pressure ulcers is key to minimizing hospitalizations. Low rates of facility acquired pressure ulcers are the result of a high level of wellness/clinical oversight and an indicator of quality care and service.

Another common cause of both initial hospitalizations and re-hospitalizations is medication errors. Changes to medication regime whether after a scheduled physician appointment or emergency hospitalization can leave patients confused about what medications are most current. Our wellness team is responsible for medication reconciliation and management, a process which virtually eliminates medication errors.

Communication is key and Juniper Village at Cape Coral takes communication to the next level through:

• Use of Electronic Health Records (Point Click Care)
• Optimized care transitions protocols
• Full implementation of INTERACT (Interventions to Reduce Acute Care Transfers)
• Use of a highly recognizable and consistent transfer information packet
• Focus on resident and care giver education and engagement
• Individualized care and service

Contact us today to see how we can assist you in managing your patient transitions.

Welcome New Beginnings: January Events

Welcome to 2015! What a wonderful time for us to reflect on the past year and forge ahead with new beginnings. January is a time for change when we make and sometimes break our New Year’s resolutions and focus on what we want to make better in the coming year.

January is also the month that Juniper Village begins our Winter Alive In All Seasons theme of Creative Expressions: “Explore Your Creativity” where in January we will focus on music! Research shows that music can help us physically by easing pain, helping us sleep better, eat less and enhance our blood vessel function. It is also suggested that music can help us mentally by reducing stress, relieving symptoms of depression, elevating mood, decreasing anxiety and improving cognitive performance. Hospitals are using music to help cancer patients manage stress and anxiety and to ease recovery in stroke patients.

Our fabulous activity offerings this month include our Veteran’s Benefit Presentation with special guest speaker David Casterioto of The Veteran’s Support Center about the VA’s Aide and Attendance program and how this benefit could help you financially on January 7^th at 1:30 pm; or our 6th Annual “All Shook Up” Happy Hour where we welcome everyone to come sing along to your favorite tune as we stroll down memory lane remembering the Legend of Elvis on January 16^th at 3:00 pm!

Look through our calendar and join us this month as we explore our creativity through music with outings to local musical performances, Elvis’ birthday celebrations and concerts by our Joyful Noise Choirs. We invite you to Welcome New Beginnings at Juniper Village and make a habit of joining us for activities and events throughout the year!

Juniper Communities Appoints New Regional Director of Wellness and Wellbeing

Juniper Communities announces that Melissa “Missy” Ebner has joined Juniper as Regional Director of Wellness and Wellbeing. Missy brings a wealth of experience in nursing care, especially with seniors to her position. From a clinical perspective, her role will be to oversee the entire portfolio of clinical care and support for the residents, provide clinical oversight, and staff training. She is a licensed Registered Nurse (RN) in every state where Juniper currently has communities.

“We are very excited to have Missy join the Juniper family,” expressed Lynne Katzmann, CEO of Juniper Communities. “She comes to Juniper with a wonderful background and deep experience in the clinical complainants of senior living. She will be a great resource for our community wellness teams and to the home office team in this changing healthcare environment.”

Missy’s interest in working with senior living communities is that they offer residents more freedom than skilled nursing settings. “The seniors can be taken care of in a homelike environment and you can become a friend, not seen as a nurse or caregiver,” she explained. “Juniper’s staff is wonderful at treating the residents as a parent or grandparent, this doesn’t always happen in institutional settings.”

Juniper Communities owns and operates Personal Care, Assisted Living, Memory-Care, Skilled Nursing and Independent Living communities in NJ, FL, CO and PA.

“Nobody is as forward thinking as Juniper. They are far ahead of the curve in the industry and where healthcare is going. The staff I’ve observed go above and beyond, always doing more even though no one is looking,” Missy described of her building level observations.

Missy Ebner has worked in the healthcare industry since 1987. She received her LPN from the James Martin School of Nursing in 1987 and her RN from Excelsior College in 2005. She is a resident of Willow Grove, PA and born and raised in Pennsylvania. She has been married to Henry Ebner for 26 years and has three children, Corey, Shane and Cassidy.  Something her family and friends know about her is that she loves to shop the Outlets, and loves a good bargain!

Celebrate Little Things: December Events

This month is all about celebrations! Not only will we be celebrating holidays such as Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year’s Eve, but we will also celebrate the little things that make life worthwhile. Little things such as the reassuring touch of a friend’s hand, a kind word from an acquaintance and a warm smile from a stranger.

In our all too busy lives we sometimes forget to honor the simple things in life that bring us peace and joy. Most experts recommend that we allow 10-20 minutes of relaxation and stress relief each day. Making time for that can even be a stressful experience! During this busy month of baking, shopping, visitors and juggling tasks take time to remember what is really important.

Here are some tips to keep holiday stress in check: Acknowledge your feelings - you are not alone as holiday stress is not uncommon. Be realistic with expectations - you can only do so much, learn to say no. Ask for help when needed - everyone wants to be needed and may feel more included by being able to contribute. Plan ahead to minimize unplanned expenses and tasks. Take a breather - take a walk at night and do some stargazing, listen to soothing music, or get a massage. Above all enjoy all the holidays have to offer by sharing time with others.

Our fabulous activity offerings this month include our Holiday Tribute with Turner Talent in what has become a holiday staple at Juniper Village featuring the fabulous Turner Talent dancers who will once again entertain us with their rendition of Marilyn Monroe’s “Santa Baby” and many other tributes that will be sure to have us longing for Christmases past on December 12^th from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm (RSVP to 239-542-3121 by December 8^th); or our Christmas in the Courtyard to enjoy the transformation as you enter our “Christmas Wonderland” where  maybe Santa will stop by for a sip of the eggnog punch and leave a few goodies behind for our guests on December 17^th from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm (RSVP to 239-542-3121 by December 15^th)!

Look through our calendar and join us during the busy month of December for our annual cookie exchange and holiday celebrations. Take time to Celebrate Little Things with those you love!

Happy Halloween From Juniper Village

What an honor it was to have Hugh Heffner (AKA  Victor) stop in at Juniper Village for our annual Halloween Party. Our lady bug flew right in from our garden when she heard Hugh was here. Laura enjoyed clowning around with the staff. Many compliments were given to her for her  professional make-up job that she did herself. Peace and Love was sent to everyone from  Frank when he entered the party. Our staff joined in on the fun as we performed  the "Cupid's Shuffle. It goes to show you, that at any age we can still appreciate the silliness of dressing up and having fun.