Juniper Village at Mount Joy Winner 2015 Best of Personal Care Award

Juniper Village at Mount Joy was presented with a 2015 Best of Personal Care* Award for receiving consistently high ratings from residents and their families in the past year on SeniorAdvisor.com, a premier ratings and reviews site for senior care and services nationwide.

Now in its second year, the SeniorAdvisor.com Best of 2015 Awards celebrate the best of the best in senior living and home care across the United States. The award is only given to communities that have received outstanding online feedback from their families through the SeniorAdvisor.com website. Of the nearly 100,000 providers currently listed on the site, only 879 were recognized. This exclusive designation places the winners in the top one percent of senior care providers nationwide according to those who matter most – their families.

“Receiving this type of award is of great pride to the staff at Juniper Village. It is based on unsolicited, confidential survey findings from residents and their families,” said Debra Miller, Executive Director of Juniper Village at Mount Joy. “It shows that all of our hard work in providing outstanding care in an exceptional environment is noticed and appreciated by those who mean the most, our residents.”

Selection criteria for the award winners included having an average overall rating of at least 4.5 out of 5 stars and a minimum number of reviews.

“SeniorAdvisor.com aims to help families research and locate reliable, first-hand feedback on senior care options from other families that have gone through the same experience,” said Eric Seifert, President of SeniorAdvisor.com. “We are proud to celebrate the exceptional businesses who care for our greatest generation and older loved ones, and provide these organizations with the recognition they deserve. These businesses are committed to providing the best care possible to their residents, and they’ve set a high bar of quality for other senior care providers to follow.”

* In most other states personal care is referred to as assisted living.

Drum Circles and Baked Goods

Tuesday we took a trip to Western Africa, despite the chilly weather outside. Jeff Kuhn lead our residents in an Intro to the Djembe & Drumming Circles program, infusing our living room with vibrant and lively music. Our drum circle was impressively large as our residents ventured to find their own rhythms before joining together to play to music. It was great fun and a chance for many to do something they have never done before.

Wednesday we were back in Christmas Land as we baked gingerbread cookies and spent the afternoon decorating them. Our beautiful Christmas tree beside the fireplace draws everyone in for cozy afternoons spent with friends and stories from holidays past.

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!

Jazzy November

There might be nothing that goes so well with cool, crisp November weather like live jazz music. It was cool, smooth, and had our residents enchanted Sunday afternoon. The young ensemble, Temple Avenue, turned our living room into as close to a beatnik coffee house as it was ever going to get. They played a variety of arrangements of classic pieces from jazz's finest composers, such as Miles Davis and Clifford Brown. The group, featuring saxophonist Seth Ebersole, bassist Jack Synoski, drummer Austin Wagner, and pianist Colin Mekeel filled our living room with energy, warmth, and full-bodied music that we stick with us all winter long.

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 Santa Claus is Coming to Town event as Santa along with Mrs. Claus and his trusty elves will be making a special appearance during our annual Family Christmas Party for a festive meal and delectable goodies as each resident may have up to 6 complimentary guests to join in the magic of the season on December 7^th from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm; or our 2nd Annual “Professional Jingle Mingle” a fun and festive spin on the traditional networking meeting in a social event will give you an opportunity to meet and have fun with members of Lancaster County’s Senior Outreach Services, local Chamber of Commerce members and other professionals all while sampling local wines, brews and specially selected pairings with fabulous door prizes offered and fun guaranteed on December 16^th from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm!

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!