September 2016 Events in Meadville, PA: Spread Your Joy

As the air begins to cool and summer wanes, Juniper Village ends our “Stay Connected” series by recognizing Friendship and Joy. What is it that brings you joy? Is it the wet nose of a newborn pup? The smile of your first grandchild? The taste of a triple chocolate ice cream cone? Whatever it is we invite you to share that joy with others at Juniper Village this month.

Much attention has been paid to studies regarding the effects of stress on your health, but what about the effects of joy? The landmark “Nun Study,” as it's often known, revealed that positive emotion is correlated with longevity: 90% of the most cheerful quarter of nuns was alive at the age of eighty-five, whereas only 34% of the least cheerful quarter lived to that age. Similarly, 54% of the most cheerful fourth was alive at age ninety-four, versus 11% of the least cheerful. Of the 678 sisters in the original study about four dozen are still living. So go ahead, grab that triple chocolate cone it might just extend your life!

Join us this month as we celebrate friendship and staying connected with calendar events such as our annual daffodil planting and our home warming, birthday party and Best Friend initiatives.

Our fabulous September 2016 events in Meadville, PA at Juniper Village at Meadville include our:

§  AIAS Friends & Family Dinner and Recycling Presentation by Meadville Waste who offers curbside collection of recyclables to their residents, but there is so much more to be learned and we hope to see you here on September 8^th at 4:30 pm. (Please RSVP to 814-333-4400 by September 2^nd.)

§  Hospice Myth Busters because choosing hospice care can be a difficult decision for individuals and their families and there are a lot of misconceptions about the service, and as a result, many who need quality pain and symptom control, along with social and emotional care, do not take advantage of hospice, so join Juniper Village and SouthernCare Hospice to “bust the myths about hospice” on September 15^th at 6:00 pm. (No RSVP required.)

§  Lunch & Learn where we practice “Spreading the Joy” with the talented speaker Meg Maly who has been speaking at various locations throughout the community and we are very excited to have her join us for smiles, laughs and a generally good time on September 21^st at noon. (Please RSVP to 814-333-4400 by September 16^th.)

We look forward to sharing our September 2016 events in Meadville, PA at Juniper Village at Meadville with you as you Spread Your Joy.

A Trip to the Isle

Many residents grew up going to Presque Isle on Lake Erie biking, fishing, and camping or just to have a day at the beach with their family. Some things never seem to change, as residents enjoyed the day as much today as in years gone by. We along with over 4 million other people love and visit Presque Isle every year and we are blessed to have it almost in our back yard! Although it’s a peninsula, not an island, the name given to it by the French is very fitting as it means “almost an island”. Being one of the five Great Lakes, Lake Erie is 57 miles wide (north to south), with Canada being on the other side, and 241 miles long (east to west). It is on average 62 feet deep with the deepest point being a whopping 210 feet!

This is one of our favorite summer outings with an extra highlight this year of having lunch at iconic Sara’s, an old fashion diner with good old hamburgers, hot dogs and root beer floats.  As much as we love our food though the pinnacle of the trip was getting out on the beach, feeling the sand between our toes and the warm breeze off the water, smelling the sunscreen & barbecue, listening to squealing children playing on the beach and looking out over the tranquil lake. Nothing better for a good night’s sleep than a trip to the Isle.

August 2016 Events in Meadville, PA: Breathe in Life

Each August we turn our focus to the environment by offering social events and educational opportunities on living a more environmentally sustainable life. By making caring choices and creating helpful habits we can all make a difference to our planet.

Did you know that an aluminum can may remain in its current condition in a landfill for up to 500 years? That same can, when recycled, can end up back on your grocer’s shelf in as little as two months. Recycling that aluminum can also saves energy. Enough energy, in fact, to power your television for three hours! Aluminum can be recycled over, and over and over again – without limit. Americans will use about 2.5 million plastic bottles every thirty minutes. If that bottle is not recycled it can spend the next 450 years or more in a landfill. A modern glass bottle will take about 4,000 years to biodegrade. Glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled again, and again and again. So, the next time you are enjoying a delicious beverage, be conscious of the packaging and make the choice to recycle.

Join us this month as we promote the environment with a focus on our recycling programs – from annual rummage sales to shredding and more; our educational offerings will help you to support our environment and Breathe in Life!

Our fabulous August 2016 events in Meadville, PA at Juniper Village at Meadville include our:

§  Alive in All Seasons Friends & Family Picnic as we are excited to bring back old traditions and have a picnic style dinner on our front lawn with the upbeat, fun filled music of the Lamberts on August 11^th at 4:30. (RSVP by August 6^th to 814-333-4400.)

§  Go Green Workshop Lunch & Learn to find out more about “Going Green” and the benefits not only for our mind and body, but also for our environment, because it’s never too late to be more environmentally conscious on August 17^th at noon. (RSVP by August 12^th to 814-333-4400.)

§  Wild Animals Presentation on wild birds and other wild creatures by Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation & Education Center, Inc. founded in 1989 by Harriet Wilson, that upon first opening, treated all types of injured wildlife, but due to the high demand, now specializes in birds of prey of all ages, adult seed-eating songbirds, turtles and opossums, though they do care for other species of wildlife when they have enough staffing, room and funding on August 26^th at 2:30 pm. (No RSVP required.)

We look forward to sharing our August 2016 events in Meadville, PA at Juniper Village at Meadville with you as you Breathe in Life.

Good Food, Good Friends, Great Life

What better way to bring people together than over good food? For our theme of “Food: Live in Wellness” residents at Juniper Village in Meadville have been enjoying getting out, sharing cooking experiences, and laughs with others while slicing  and dicing up some yummy treats. One of our favorites being a unique but incredibly tasty blend of sweet peppers, corn, onion, black beans and a couple of secret ingredients to make a healthy snack of salsa. Another healthy favorite was our Nigerian inspired fruit salad which also inspired a lot of laughs during the making of yet another succulent snack.

As important as it is to eat a healthy diet it is believed that perhaps the greatest aid to digestion is the company of others. Sharing these experiences offers the  perfect opportunity to enrich our lives with the company of good friends, conversation and healthy food.

July 2016 Events in Meadville, PA: Stand in Integrity

Ah...the good old summer time filled with lazy, sunny days, ice cold treats, Independence Day celebrations, and get-togethers at the beach. Another sure indication of summer is our Alive in All Seasons theme of Volunteerism.

July is the perfect month to honor all of the many volunteers who contribute thousands of hours of time in service to our communities. From our four-legged volunteers to those of the two legged variety we are proud to say we receive more than 10,000 hours of precious time each year. We simply could not do it without all of your help, and this month we honor you. We will also be promoting the spirit of volunteerism by volunteering our time to help others. If you have some spare time on your hands consider joining us for a volunteer activity or better yet volunteer your time with us, we’d love to have you. What qualities make a good volunteer? Energy, passion, flexibility, creativity, reliability, commitment and perhaps most important of all – integrity.

Volunteerism benefits all parties involved. In addition to making new friends, volunteering also helps increase your self-confidence, provides a sense of purpose, combats depression and helps you stay physically healthy. Helping others also kindles happiness, as the London School of Economics found the more people volunteered, the happier they were.

In addition to volunteering opportunities, plan to join us during July for our summer celebrations and share our thanks as we honor those who Stand In Integrity with us.

Our fabulous July 2016 events in Meadville, PA at Juniper Village at Meadville include our:

§  Fourth of July Celebration with upbeat music by Empty Pockets, and during our celebration we would like to invite you to help us thank our many veterans who have served our country and now call Juniper home on July 2^nd at 2:00 pm. (RSVP to 814-333-4400 by May 27^th.)

§  AIAS Dinner and Presentation as we are excited to learn more about the RSVP program which has several truly wonderful benefits to our residents and our community as a whole on July 14^th at 4:30 pm. (RSVP to 814-333-4400 by July 8^th.)

§  Lunch and Learn: Recycling as we learn about recycling and the way it affects our environment, presented by Meadville Waste on July 20^th at noon. (RSVP to 814-333-4400 by July 15^th.)

We look forward to sharing our July 2016 events in Meadville, PA at Juniper Village at Meadville with you as you Stand in Integrity.

A Civil War Fashion Show

Our ladies & gentlemen at Juniper Village in Meadville were captivated by some original articles of clothing and other adornments dating back as far as 1861 brought in by civil war re-enactor, Jan Lauer. She shared a lot of history about the many items she brought like the well-known favorite of the southern belle’s, the hoop skirt. As she dressed up our connections assistant, Sue Ellen, she shared how they normally dressed in several layers of clothes, as many as 7! She also dressed Sue Ellen up in a practical dress of that time period and explained that it was not an original as they are very scarce due to the ladies wearing them out and having to discard them. She also shared that ladies kept up with fashions primarily through “Godey’s” magazine and how they always wore gloves and a bonnet when outside because to have color on any part of your skin was a sign that you were a peasant.

Jan is also a part of Pennsylvania’s 150^th Volunteers, better known as the Bucktails. They do reenactments in Gettysburg, Ohio, New York, Meadville, Pennsylvania, and you can be sure we plan to be in Diamond Park to see them. The reenactment that is the most special to Jan is in Washington D.C. in September at Lincoln’s “Cottage”. It is by invitation only and the Bucktails are the only re-enactors invited to this beautiful Victorian house that President Lincoln once spent summers at and is currently an Armed Forces Retirement Home. The Meadville Bucktails were Lincoln’s personal guards so they are rightfully invited to the one day living history event where they have an encampment, do a firing demo, and fashion show. There are many other festivities as well, such as Civil War Era music, picnics and tours of the cottage.

When asked why she became a Bucktail  Jan said “Because 600,000 of our own country men died and I want people to remember that freedom does not come free”. Well said Jan!

June 2016 Events in Meadville, PA: Live in Wellness

What is wellness? The National Wellness Institute defines wellness as "a conscious, self-directed and evolving process of achieving full potential." At Juniper we believe in fostering this definition of wellness everyday by offering programs and services that help our residents achieve their full potential. As we wind down our Healthy Aging series, this month we focus on Food by highlighting our H’Art and Soul of Dining Signature Program.

Throughout our lives the most important discussions, revelations, decisions and announcements have transpired around the dinner table. When company came over we caught up on the latest gossip over coffee and fresh baked goods. If you needed advice from your parents, it was often given while enjoying Mom’s delicious pot roast on a Sunday evening. Why should that be any different when you enter your retirement years in one of our communities?

With the kitchen often being the heart of the home, we have developed H’Art and Soul of Dining with this in mind. This program strives to impart spirited service, companionship and nourishment through sharing the joy of good food – just like home! Our dining program is designed to not only meet resident’s physical needs, but their emotional and social needs as well. We believe this program provides a perfect balance of nutritious and delicious food choices, comfortable atmosphere and ambiance, social interaction, cleanliness and a spirit of service.

Indulge with us this month as we focus on the “heart” of the home with program offerings centered on food and nutrition such as our hydration program with healthy snacks and juices and educational presentations by a dietitian. Join us in June as we Live in Wellness.

Our fabulous June 2016 events in Meadville, PA at Juniper Village at Meadville include our:

§  AIAS Dinner & Presentation by Dietician Diane Grieshaber as we learn about new and improved eating habits that will be beneficial to our overall health while enjoying a delicious meal on June 9th at 4:30 pm. (RSVP to 814-333-4400 by June 3rd.)

§  Lunch & Learn: Presentation by Penn State Master Gardeners on therapeutic gardening with a complimentary lunch as we are excited to learn of the many benefits gardening can have for our physical and emotional health on June 17th at noon. (RSVP to 814-333-4400 by June 11th.)

§  Walk on Ernst Trail as we brave the elements on the beautiful Ernst Natural Trail, and each participant who mentions this announcement will be given a ticket for a FREE gift, so tie up those shoes and be prepared to have a great time as we look forward to seeing you all there on June 23rd at 10:00 am. (No RSVP required.)

We look forward to sharing our June 2016 events in Meadville, PA at Juniper Village at Meadville with you as you Live in Wellness.