Muscular Dystrophy Fundraiser

Daisy, our Connections Director, recently spearheaded a fundraiser for Muscular Dystrophy to honor one of their volunteer superstars who lives with the disease. They had about 48 residents participate, and another 50 to 60 students, firemen, home health workers, Care Patrol and family members. Daisy's original goal was to raise $500.00, but she didn't make her goal, she blew it out of the water! The event raised $2,300.00! It was fantastic.

May 2017 Events in Cape Coral, FL: Grow Strong Daily

Continuing our Spring Alive In All Seasons focus on healthy again, we continue to let wellbeing thrive with a May focus on Fitness. Staying fit throughout all seasons of life is possible and at Juniper we promote fitness every day of the week! We recently shared on our Facebook page a New York Times story, authored by Gretchen Reynolds, providing results from the Mayo Clinic who recently conducted an experiment on the cells of 72 healthy but sedentary men and women who were 30 or younger or older than 64. The volunteers were randomly assigned to a particular exercise regimen. There were some unsurprising differences: The gains in muscle mass and strength were greater for those who exercised only with weights, while interval training had the strongest influence on endurance. But more unexpected results were found in the biopsied muscle cells. It seems as if the decline in the cellular health of muscles associated with aging was “corrected” with exercise, especially if it was intense, says Dr. Sreekumaran Nair, a professor of medicine and an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic and the study’s senior author. In fact, older people’s cells responded in some ways more robustly to intense exercise than the cells of the young did. So pick up those weights, get on that bike and remember it’s never too late to benefit from exercise. And if you’re not doing so already, follow us on social media so you don’t miss a thing.

We invite you to Grow Strong Daily along with us with programs such as Fitness Five and our Route 66 Walking Program. Learn more about fitness and keeping your heart healthy at our Heart Healthy Luncheon and educational presentation. Staying fit throughout all seasons of life is possible.

Our fabulous May 2017 events in Cape Coral, FL at Juniper Village at Cape Coral include our:

§  Kentucky Derby Party equipped with pretty hats, horse racing and of course, mint juleps, as we engage in our very own horse race Juniper style, and make bets on who will be the winner and just have some good ole’ Kentucky fun on May 6^th at 2:00 pm.

§  Ninth Annual Senior Olympics for the official lighting of the Olympic torch and then we “let the games begin” with the support of our community partners in caring also known as our “Game Hosts” and there will be prizes for the best senior game and best participant during our medal ceremony that will follow with awards, cheers, and healthy celebratory snacks on May 25^th at 2:15 pm.

We look forward to sharing our May 2017 events in Cape Coral, FL at Juniper Village at Cape Coral with you as you Grow Strong Daily.

April 2017 Events in Cape Coral, FL: Believe in Yourself

Each April we begin our Healthy Aging Series with a focus on brain health, and encourage you to Believe in Yourself. We know that believing in yourself has a positive effect on your mental health, but did you know that self-confidence influences your physical health as well? Recent studies show people who exhibit self-confidence are generally healthier and tend to live longer. That's because confidence is a positive emotion and positive emotions have countless health benefits for your mind, body and spirit. In nurturing wellbeing by encouraging an active body, an engaged mind and a fulfilled spirit, Juniper is also building self-confidence. The link between health and confidence also may be related to the ability of positive emotions to boost our brain's power to hold attention, be aware and remember things. We are better able to learn, build new skills and relate with others when we are feeling optimistic. Also confident people are better able to handle chaotic situations in a positive manner. This helps to reduce or avoid excessive stress, high blood pressure, anger, confusion – all the negative side effects of feeling powerless, overwhelmed and out of control.

If you need to kick start your confidence, here are a few things to try: smile; count your blessings; surround yourself with confident people; learn how others have found their confidence and follow their lead; challenge negative or inaccurate thinking and replace with accurate, constructive thoughts; and encourage yourself. You can also plan to join us this month for uplifting discussions and a focus on brain health with offerings such as Daily Brain Builders, Wii games, and a Brain Healthy Luncheon.

Our fabulous April 2017 events in Cape Coral, FL at Juniper Village at Cape Coral include our:

§  Lee County Sheriff’s Presentation as we are proud to welcome back our special guest speakers whose topic will be Tips and Tricks on avoiding Scam Artists during this program that will provide information on what to look out for when someone has bad intentions, such as scammers who are looking for a way to get your money; this event is open to all Lee County residents, families, caregivers and area professionals, and light refreshments will be served on April 10^th from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm. (RSVP by April 9^th at 239-542-3121.)

§  A Mindful Musical Journey with one of our newest entertainers, Alex, who enlightens us with the soothing sounds of her lovely harp, and for those who have never heard a harp played up close and personal, you will not want to miss this amazing performance as there is no better instrument to ease your mind than listening to the dreamy sounds of the harp, and delicious assorted cheeses and wines will be served on April 28^th from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm. (RSVP by April 26^th at 239-542-3121.)

We look forward to sharing our April 2017 events in Cape Coral, FL at Juniper Village at Cape Coral with you as you Believe in Yourself.

Connect4Life Leads to Better Outcomes for Residents

Integrated Care in Seniors Housing that Meets the Triple Aim from Cindy Longfellow

Data shows Connect4Life’s high-tech/high-touch integrated services lead to higher quality care and better outcomes for residents

Executive Summary: Integrated Care in Seniors Housing that Meets
the Triple Aim

By Anne Tumlinson, MMHS and Lynne Katzmann, PhD

According to the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, more than 190 million Americans, or about 59 percent of the population, are affected by one or more chronic illnesses. Over the next 15 years (between 2016 and 2030,) 80 percent of the United States population will experience one or more chronic conditions, costing more than $42 trillion in medical care spending and losses in employment productivity.

To address these challenges and enhance the resident experience, Juniper Communities, a Bloomfield, NJ-based national owner-operator of seniors housing, developed the Connect4Life model, which provides on-site comprehensive therapy, primary care, pharmacy and lab services, integrated with other services using a “high-tech/high-touch” communications protocol that transfers information through an Electronic Health Record (EHR) and coordinates care through a human navigator.

Juniper Communities retained Anne Tumlinson Innovations (ATI) to compare Connect4Life outcomes and utilization data with data on the broader Medicare population from the 2012 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS). The findings suggest that the Connect4Life model contributes to lower hospital readmissions and the utilization of inpatient services among a high-need resident population. The results affirm the potential of integrating select clinical care and services in a seniors housing environment that provides supportive services to those who have chronic conditions, functional limitations, and complex social needs.

The results suggest an integrated program of services in seniors housing—like Juniper’s Connect4Life —can contribute to reducing the cost of care and services to Medicare beneficiaries residing in seniors housing. More importantly, the data points to the value of the Connect4Life model for managing population health because of its ability to efficiently target integrated care interventions in the high cost, high-need Medicare population.

Juniper Communities has been a thought leader in senior living care, developing nearly a dozen innovative service and delivery programs to enhance aging, lifestyle and resident health. Recognizing opportunities in to meet the triple aim of recent health policy changes in the United States – improved customer satisfaction, evidence-base quality and lower healthcare utilization, Juniper is pioneering Connect 4 Life – one of senior living’s first truly integrated care models of assisted living care and service.

Read more in the FREE White Paper!

March 2017 Events in Cape Coral, FL: Your Treasure is Within

Theatrical readings, colorful costumed dancers and spectacular vocal performances bring to a close our creative expression quarterly theme with a focus on performance and honoring our inner treasure – our self-worth. With so many demands on our time these days, it’s easy to always put others first and forget to care of ourselves. Also as we get older, retire from work and in some cases caretaking, we may forget our sense of value – our self-worth. A large part of nurturing the spirit of life is providing opportunities for purpose.

This month we will put an even greater focus on identifying our continued purpose and self-worth by performing purposeful activities, reminiscing and creating opportunities to treasure ourselves. Motivational speaker Anne Naylor offers these tips to help you treasure yourself: Treasure your thoughts with kindness – nurture your thoughts of gratitude and appreciation. Treasure your feelings and emotions – observe and use them as your guide. Treasure your body – treat it well with exercise, nourishment, rest, joy and laughter. Treasure your spirit – breathe, meditate and enjoy the goodness in your life. We hope you all enjoy the treasure of your wonderful self.

Please join us as we dramatically embrace performance throughout March with our weekly drama club, outings to live theatrical performances and our Oscar-themed party. Celebrate the Irish culture in grand style with our Saint Patrick’s Day event filled with food, fun and, of course, dancing! Honor yourself and recognize Your Treasure is Within this month at Juniper Village!

Our fabulous March 2017 events in Cape Coral, FL at Juniper Village at Cape Coral include our:

§  Lake Kennedy Performer in recognition of this month’s theme “Performance”, we invite everyone to join us as the performers from the Lake Kennedy Entertainers Group grace us with their annual spectacular show, and light refreshments will be served on March 16^th from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm. (RSVP by March 15^th to 239-542-3131.)

§  Genesis How to Perform Under Stress for an educational talk on how to prevent stress because in today’s world no matter how young or old, we all have stress and unfortunately this effects our daily performance, so we encourage everyone to come learn a trick or two in how to cope and manage as light refreshments will be served on March 30^th from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm. (RSVP by March 29^th to 239-542-3121.)

We look forward to sharing our March 2017 events in Cape Coral, FL at Juniper Village at Cape Coral with you as Your Treasure is Within.

February 2017 Events in Cape Coral, FL: Awaken Your Passion

This month, our focus on creative expression continues with a focus on art. Art, as with beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. It is understandable that some have great artistic ability and others do not. But, at Juniper we know that everyone has a passion for creative expression, regardless of ability or age. Pablo Picasso once said, “All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” He is speaking about becoming inhibited as adults. With our various art programs we encourage uninhibited creativity as a form of therapy. Creating art affords the opportunity of self-exploration and self-expression leading to both physical and mental benefits. Creating art in any of its various forms, is also about sharing a bit of ourselves with each other. Art is one way to express ourselves, and the creations are honest and true representations of our experiences. In sharing our stories through art with others we invite communication and create lasting bonds.

Art typically encompasses painting, sculpting, and drawing. But, the act of creating art can be as simple as doodling. Art is simply the creation of something outside one’s self that often mirrors what is going on within their mind, soul, and body. We use creative arts as a way to nurture the spirit of life. Join us throughout February as we focus on great varieties of art such as photography, needlework, handicrafts, painting, sculpture and more. Please join us as we share a bit of ourselves with our weekly craft classes, experience art on an outing to an art museum, and embrace our celebratory spirit with Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day parties. We look forward to helping you Awaken Your Passion this month!

Our fabulous February 2017 events in Cape Coral, FL at Juniper Village at Cape Coral include our:

§  Turner Talents Awakens Our Passion as Turner Talents once more shares the “Art” of performance with us at Juniper Village, and we invite all friends, families and colleagues to enjoy this spectacular tropical island themed performance, then stay and meet our entertainers after the performance on February 10^th from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm. (Reservations not required.)

§  A Walk Down Music & Memory Lane for our one-year anniversary as we share the tremendous impact our Music & Memory program has had on our community with amazing videos that will send chills down your spine and put tears of joy in your eyes as you see the effect music has on our special senior population on February 22^nd from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. (RSVP by February 21^st 239-542-3121.)

We look forward to sharing our February 2017 events in Cape Coral, FL at Juniper Village at Cape Coral with you as you Awaken Your Passion.

January 2017 Events in Cape Coral, FL: Welcome New Beginnings

Welcome to 2017! What a wonderful time for us to reflect on the past year and forge ahead with new beginnings. January is a time to begin again; a time when we make (and sometimes break) our New Year’s resolutions and focus on how we want to improve 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! Do you know that 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. Because of this, Juniper Communities has adopted the Music & Memory program.

Through the use of MP3 players and headphones our teams download personalized music for each resident. These musical favorites tap deep memories and can bring participants back to life, enabling them to feel like themselves again, to converse, socialize and stay present. Learn more about our Music & Memory program by talking with our Connections Director and consider making a donation to this worthwhile program. We accept donations of new or used iPods, new over the ear headphones and iTunes gift cards.

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 resolution to join us for activities and events throughout the year!

Our fabulous January 2017 events in Cape Coral, FL at Juniper Village at Cape Coral include our:

§  The Magic of Stuart as our favorite magician is back by popular demand and will be delighting us with his comedic style of magic, and for those who have not yet experienced this special event, as we invite everyone to take a break from your day and enjoy an hour of fun on us, and light refreshments will be served January 13^th from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm. (RSVP by January 12^th to 239-542-3121.)

§  8th Annual “All Shook Up” Happy Hour as we invite our friends and families to join us as we host our 8th annual fun-filled tribute to the ‘King of Rock n’ Roll’ with our newest entertainer, KJ Mike, who will be singing his renditions of our favorite Elvis hits, so come sing along to your favorite tune as we stroll down memory lane remembering the legend of Elvis on January 27^th from 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm. (RSVP by January 26^th to 239-542-3121.)

We look forward to sharing our January 2017 events in Cape Coral, FL at Juniper Village at Cape Coral with you as you Welcome New Beginnings.