Heartwarming Holiday

February is a month meant to win hearts, and there are few things as charming as a man and his monkey. Jerry Brown the Monkey Man came to visit us here at Juniper Village at Mount Joy, and his performance with his adorable sidekick did not disappoint. The magic tricks lightened our hearts, and our residents and associates were delighted for an opportunity to visit with darling little Django.

Our celebration of Valentine’s Day continued with Characters with Character creating balloon art and caricatures that made us all feel young at heart. The event warmed up as our head chef prepared appetizers and served champagne. Residents selected masquerade masks to add a touch of even more whimsy to the romantic affair. There were tarot card readings offered by Terry Miller, and at the end of the evening, it was truly a heartwarming holiday.

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 Juniper Village Candy Gram Service offered free of charge as our way of saying “Thank You” for all the love you have shown us over the past year where you give us your loved one’s name and a personal Valentine message by February 12^th and we will prepare a box of chocolates tagged with your special message ready for pick up on February 14^th, and If your loved one resides at Juniper Village, we will deliver it for you too; our Valentine Masquerade as we will be dazzled by Terry Miller’s tarot card readings and entertained by Jerry Brown and the Monkey Man, and after the show, you can have a monkey visit and participate in the Q&A, plus sweet treats will be available for all on February 14^th from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm; or our Evening of “Uncorked Art” a fun social event creating wall-worthy paintings like pros with step by step instruction by Terry Miller and all materials and refreshments will be provided for participants so you leave with a masterpiece and leave the mess and clean-up behind on February 26^th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm (RSVP by February 16^th to 717-492-9692).

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.

King of Rock and Roll

We celebrated the king of rock and roll on January 8th with a hip-swiveling, Elvis Birthday Bash. Our Elvis impersonator, Jeff Krick, had everyone dancing in their seats while residents enjoyed treats such as fried pickles, banana pudding, and peanut butter & bacon brownies. With scarves being tossed to ladies, and a variety of Elvis's most beloved tunes, it was definitely a party fit for the king.

Juniper Village at Mount Joy: Our Clinical Outcomes Speak for Themselves

We want to be your partner of choice in the new shared savings environment. At Juniper Village at Mount Joy, we began collecting critical data upon our acquisition by Juniper Communities in January 2013. 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 Mount Joy 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 Happy New Year Open House as refreshments, treats, giveaways and entertainment set the tone for a fun afternoon with tours given of our beautiful suites and upscale amenities on January 12^th from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm; or our Amedysis Learning Series Diabetes Management: Facts, Myths and Treatment with Carol Spicher, MS,RD, CDE, LDN from Lancaster Internal Medicine joining us to review the warning signs, symptoms, implications, and treatments of this diagnosis that effects 1.9 million new patients every year on January 23^rd from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm (RSVP to 717-492-9692 by January 17^th)!

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 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.