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 Beating Holiday Blues and Lost Traditions presentation by Dr. Lisa May, psychologist, on ways to overcome the winter blues and tricks to deal with traditions lost or changed over the years with a complimentary lunch on December 5^th at noon; our Alive in All Seasons: Holiday Celebration as friends and family of Juniper Village are invited to join in the festivities of the Holiday and enjoy hors d’oeuvres and beverages as well as good entertainment on December 11^th from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm; our Juniper Jinglers Holiday Concert to celebrate the Season with the Juniper Jinglers as they perform some of our favorite holiday songs on December 18^th at 6:00 pm; or our Mr. and Mrs. Claus visit where the young and young-at-heart can have their picture taken with Jolly Old St. Nick on December 20^th from 1:00 pm to 3:00 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!

Cherish the Journey: November Events

Life is a journey filled with lessons, celebrations and special moments that ultimately lead us to our destination, our purpose in life. The road will not always be smooth and we may encounter many challenges. Some of these will test our courage, strengths, weaknesses, and faith. Along the way, we may stumble upon obstacles that must be overcome. But, sometimes these obstacles are really blessings in disguise, although we may not realize it at the time. How we react to the situations we face will determine what the rest of our journey will be like.

This month Juniper Communities will honor our Families and cherish the journey we have taken together. November is all about celebrating the bonds we share and recognizing where we’ve been and where we’re going. We will do this through autobiographical journaling, reminiscing about family celebrations and breaking bread together in Thanksgiving. In order to support our families along this journey we will continue to develop our support groups and provide additional resources when needed. We will give back through our Annual Food Drive. From November 1 through November 30 all non-perishable food items collected will be donated to a local food bank.

Our fabulous activity offerings this month include our Annual Food Drive where you can drop off non-perishable food items for the Center for Family Services anytime all month long; our Wine Making Class where we will teach you the art of creating various fermented fruit beverages on November 5^th at 3:30 pm; our Veteran’s Spaghetti Lunch honoring those who have served their country and protected our freedoms on November 11^th at noon; our Winter Safety Lunch and Learn featuring light refreshments and a presentation on staying healthy throughout the colder months by SouthernCare Hospice on November 13^th at noon; or our Journey Back to the Spirit of the David Mead Inn event where we reminisce over the storied past of our great community on November 20^th at 5:30 pm!

Look through our calendar and plan to join us for family celebrations, Thanksgiving dinners and many events and activities allowing us all to reflect and Cherish the Journey!

Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation

Thursday, September 18^th Juniper Village at Meadville had friends from Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation visit, and they brought their friends of the feathered kind.  Did you know that a Peregrine Falcon can dive toward its prey at speeds exceeding 200 mph?  This was among the several facts that residents had learned from the up close encounters with the birds.  Other birds included a Great Horned Owl, Red-tailed Hawk and Screech Owls.  These animals are part of the education family at Tamarack, because they have been injured and rehabilitated, however their injuries have made it impossible for them to return to the wild.  Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation is solely funded by community donations.  Juniper provides programs like this to engage the mind of the residents and add to the several other quality activities available throughout the day.

Red Hats

Our ladies had a special treat this month for our Red Hat get together, a visit from none other than The Timeless Tootsies! If you are not familiar with them, they are a great group of ladies from Cambridge Springs, PA, who are all 60 or older and who dance to stay young. They joined us for our Red Hats "Fashion Show of Hats" event and graciously did the extremely difficult task of judging the custom designed hats that each lady had made. There was much laughter and dancing as they had a few of our ladies kicking their heels up while we continued the party with refreshments! I believe it's safe to say a great time was had by all.

Show Your Colors: October Events

October brings forth vibrant color in our foliage as well as our sports teams. Our high school football teams will be in full swing and hockey season will prepare to fill the stands with team colors and spirit. Juniper Communities will also be honoring our colors with many sports-themed activities and events. We will be enjoying the changing colors of the season as we transition from summer to fall and the crazy costumes of our annual Halloween celebrations.

While showing our colors we not only focus on our team colors, but also showing our true colors. We recognize that working together as a team, results in better coordination of care, better quality of care and as a result better lives for our residents. This is evidenced by our excellent clinical outcomes data. We are happy to see the results of collaboration resulting in decreased re-hospitalizations and better quality of life for our residents.

Our fabulous activity offerings this month include our Lunch and Learn on Sports Safety for a light lunch to discover safe techniques when playing sports and living an active lifestyle on October 7^th at noon (RSVP by October 6^th to 814-333-4400); our Senior Olympics where you can be the cheerleaders as residents from various senior communities compete in a variety of events on October 16^th at 2:00 pm; or our Trick-Or-Treat event when ghosts and goblins will be roaming Chestnut Street and Juniper Village will have its doors open to the children so you are welcome to donate candy or come pass out treats with the residents – costumes encouraged – on October 30^th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm!

Please look through our calendar to celebrate the spirit of autumn with us and Show Your Colors!

100 and Holding

Juniper Resident, Paul Reese celebrated his 100^th Birthday on September 19, 2014.  Mr. Reese has been a resident at Juniper Village for the last six years and is quite spry in his golden years.  From driving a car to bailing hay at the family farm to this day, he continues to live life to the fullest and is still going strong.  He attributes his strength to a good country living and his daily resistance band workouts.   

Family and friends gathered at Juniper on his birthday to not only celebrate but reminisce through the years of Paul’s life.  Paul’s first car was a 1930 Ford Coupe.  This was disclosed in a previous interview about Paul in the Meadville Tribune.  A local community resident, Mark Kilburn and Paul’s niece Lori Soff had a vision to see that Paul had the opportunity to go for a ride in his first car on his birthday.  With multiple hands, the vision became a reality and Paul received his ride in a restored 1930 Ford Coupe driven by Les Meacham.  “It made me feel so young again,” stated Paul.  

In addition to the car ride, Paul also received a Proclamation from Senator Bob Robbins office and the Mayor of Meadville, Christopher Soff.  September 14^, 2014 was officially named “Paul Reese” day in the city of Meadville.  All the residents and associates, along with Paul’s family enjoyed a slide show created by Executive Director Jennifer Musone.  The slide show displayed photographs of Paul from infancy through his 100^th Birthday as the song “Through the Years” by Kenny Rogers played.  Special historical facts about the year 1914 and cake were enjoyed at the continual celebration.

We were all truly blessed to be able to celebrate this special day with Paul and look forward to many more upcoming one hundred birthday celebrations.

Spread Your Joy: September Events

September signifies the end of summer with Labor Day celebrations and the Autumnal Equinox on the 23^rd. In this last month of our “Stay Connected” series we aspire to connect with our friends and embrace the theme of Spread Your Joy.

The Mayo Clinic tells us that friends are good for your health. They can help you celebrate good times, provide support during bad times, prevent loneliness and give you a chance to offer needed companionship, too. Friends increase your sense of belonging and purpose, boost happiness, reduce stress, and improve your self-confidence and self-worth. Friends can also encourage you to increase healthy habits – it’s always better to walk, run, swim or exercise with a friend. And friends don’t always have to be of the human kind either! Several studies have shown that heart attack patients who have pets survive longer than those without.

Our fabulous activity offerings this month include our Music and Meditation Lunch and Learn at the Lafayette Tavern on September 9^th at noon; our “A Night Down 42^nd Street” Broadway Performance as part of our Alive in All Seasons Friends and Family Dinner on September 11^th from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm; our Come Meet Your Emergency Personnel Lunch and Learn honoring local First Responders on September 19^th at noon; or our Emergency Preparedness Seminar in conjunction with Force Growth LLC and Crawford County Emergency Management which is open to all community members especially small business owners and residents on September 25^th from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Please look through our calendar and join us for any events that can help you stay connected, cultivate friendships and Spread Your Joy!