Beating the Holiday Blues/Changing Traditions

What are the little things that you can do to get you through the stresses of the Holidays?  Dr. Lisa May, psychologist, presented as part of the Alive in All Seasons Programming at Juniper Village at Meadville; “Holiday Blues: Managing Loss and Changing Traditions.”  Her discussion focused on ways to overcome the winter blues and tricks to deal with traditions lost or changed over the years.

The holidays can be a difficult time of year. The expectation’s we build up can be much different from our current reality, or we may be grieving the loss of a loved one or a way of life that we can no longer experience. These changes feel even more dramatic around the holidays, when it seems everyone around us has family events to plan or attend, or are knee deep in their list of holiday traditions. The holiday blues can be short lived, and pass with the taking down of the decorations, or linger well into the New Year. If you find you continue to feel sad, are not enjoying yourself, have low energy, and feel uncomfortable around others well past the holidays, it may be time to talk to a professional. The most important thing to remember about this time of year is that you will survive it. As you make your way through this difficult time in life, you will grow stronger for the experience.  The following are some suggestions for managing loss, and creating new traditions during this time of year.

1.      Give yourself permission to just be.  It’s ok to feel however you feel. There is no way that you “have” to be.

2.      Be kind to yourself. Get the rest that you need.  If you want to be alone, that is ok.  If you want to be around others, that is ok too.

3.      Accept help (and ASK for it if needed).  Recognize that you are not a burden.  Others get joy out of helping others. It is ok to tell people what you need – to talk, to be alone, someone to sit with you quietly.

4.      Find support.  If your family is unable to provide the support that you need, find it.  Support group, community staff, psychologists can all be resources for you.

5.      Avoid making comparisons.  It’s easy to watch other couples or families and think about what they have that you do not.  This will only make you feel worse.  Try to think of good memories that you have had or of your loved one.

6.      Remember you will survive.  You may not like it, but a new day will dawn and you WILL be stronger for making it through this time.

7.      When ready, incorporate a new tradition.  Elements of an old tradition may be incorporated into your newly developed traditions.

Lisa May, PhD, provides psychological services at Juniper Village at Meadville twice per month. She is a Clinical Psychologist with a private practice in Erie, PA, and consults with many facilities in Mercer, Crawford and Erie County. Her office can be reached at 814-877-8013 if you are interested in services for yourself or a family member.

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!

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!