An Afternoon On Broadway

The month of March is Juniper’s focus on “Performance” month. In honor of this, we made our annual outing to the Broadway Palm Theater. We met in the lobby for a group picture before we left, everyone looked elegant for our afternoon outing. We were excited to see West Side Story. Many of us had seen it before, but loved it so much we couldn’t wait to see it again. Our adventure started with a delicious lunch offering of London Broil, Chicken Lombardi and Parmesan Encrusted Fish. The desserts were plentiful as well. After lunch we settled in to watch our musical. The music and dancing were phenomenal, and the acting rendered us speechless. The play ended with a standing ovation.

Juniper Communities Introduces Theralink for Onsite Integrated Therapy at Juniper Village at Cape Coral

Juniper Communities, a national owner-operator of Juniper Village senior living communities, is rolling out Theralink in all its facilities, and locally at Juniper Village at Cape Coral. Theralink is an on-site program designed to help residents regain and maintain independence, fitness and overall wellbeing. It is being implemented through a newly established partnership between Juniper Communities and Genesis Rehab Services.

“Rehabilitation, restorative services, and fitness are vital to healthy aging and whole person wellness,” explains Lynne Katzmann, CEO and Founder of Juniper Communities. “Coordinated with other clinical services permits, Juniper will be able to provide integrated post-acute care onsite at the communities through Theralink. This is especially important for Juniper’s residents who want and need more intensive rehabilitation services in their ‘home’.”

Grant Welson, Area Director for Genesis Rehab Services states, “Juniper is taking an industry lead by creating Theralink to offer onsite therapy services where they are integrated into everyday patient care. Feedback from preliminary implementation from Juniper’s residents has been overwhelmingly positive.”

The Theralink program will provide physical, occupational, speech, and when needed respiratory therapy that is integrated into the care Juniper currently delivers. Elements of Theralink include special balance and strength training, and fall prevention programs; technology and apps that facilitate and record personal fitness training; dementia management programs that integrate cognitive and occupational therapies; cardiopulmonary management; and monthly assessment reports.

March 2015 Events in Cape Coral, FL: Your Treasure Is Within

Treasure hunting has been around forever! The search for riches has evolved from archaeological digs revealing lost treasure to present day treasure hunts such as television’s “The Amazing Race”. Much has been written about the allure of treasure, but one thing that we’ve come to realize is that the treasure within is the most valuable of all. Each one of us has a treasure within and through our March 2015 events in Cape Coral, FL we will be exploring that treasure at Juniper Village at Cape Coral - be it your ability to sing, play a musical instrument, recite dramatic prose or balance a spoon at the end of your nose. No treasure is too small! In the immortal words of Captain Jack Sparrow, “Not all treasure’s silver and gold, mate.”

With our March 2015 events in Cape Coral, FL at Juniper Village at Cape Coral we end our Creative Expressions Series with a focus on Performance. Please join us during our March 2015 events in Cape Coral, FL while we recognize “Your Treasure is Within” as we provide opportunities to express yourself through our weekly drama clubs and by attending theatrical performances. If step dancing and corned beef and cabbage is more your thing, sample all that is Irish with our annual St. Patrick’s Day party or walk the red carpet and share your movie trivia skills at our Oscar Party.

Our fabulous March 2015 events in Cape Coral, FL include our March Birthday Party as we celebrate all our residents and associates who have birthdays this month with cake and singing on March 6^th from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm; our Lucky Irish Luncheon to celebrate St. Patty’s Day with our Juniper Leprechaun's and staff as we enjoy corned beef and cabbage and other Irish fair on March 17^th from noon to 1:30 pm (RSVP to 239-542-3131 by March 10^th); or our Putting On The Perfect Face demonstration with special guest cosmetic consultant, Gale Griswold of Nature’s Earth Cosmetics, who teaches us techniques and secrets of how to enhance our facial features using mineral based makeup while we indulge in appetizers and libations on March 26^th from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm (RSVP to 239-542-3131 by March 10^th).

We hope to see you at one or more of our March 2015 events in Cape Coral, FL, so check out our calendar for more!

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!