Alive Inside Screening; New Memory Care Program

On January 22nd, Juniper Village at Naples showed the popular Sundance film called Alive Inside.  It portrays the power of music and memory as the film documents stories of several elderly people whether living in their own home still or a community.  There was not a dry eye in the house as everyone was moved to tears by the incredible impact of personalized music on the residents showcased in the film.  Everyone was interested in how they could best help to bring the power of music to their loved ones.  As of February, we will begin to distribute iPods to our Wellspring memory care residents and creating individualized personal playlists for them to listen with some of their favorite oldies.  This is the basis of our music and memory program that we are starting up.  

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 Mardi Gras Family Luncheon for a traditional Cajun feast straight out of New Orleans as we’ll be dancing in the streets with our feathers, beads and masks on February 11^th from noon to 1:00 pm (RSVP by February 4^th to 239-598-1368); our Friends of Debbie Family Council with Debbie Fulton of the Alzheimer’s Support Network who will meet with families and friends to discuss Nurturing the Spirit of Life and how your life completely changes when your loved one has dementia but you can still “nurture” your own life without the guilt on February 18^th at 2:30 pm (RSVP by February 11^th to 239-598-1368); or our 5th Annual Resident Art Exhibit a mix and mingle art sale to benefit the Alzheimer’ Support Network featuring work by our residents who have awakened their passion for art so don’t miss this opportunity to join friends and families for a worthy cause and meet Jim Rice and Sharon Kirkland our art instructors while enjoying wine and appetizers on February 28^th from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm (RSVP by February 19^th to 239-598-1368).

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.

Juniper Village at Naples: Our Clinical Outcomes Speak forThemselves

We want to be your partner of choice in the new shared savings environment. At Juniper Village at Naples, we have been collecting critical data for nearly 10 years. For example, we closely monitor residents to assure successful returns from either the hospital or rehabilitation setting.

Many hospitalizations in seniors are due to poor nutrition and dehydration. Our wellness and care teams monitor changes in appetite daily.

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 Naples 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.

Where Words Fail, Music Speaks

We are very excited about our programs this month that revolve around the many facets of music.  This year we will be introducing the Music and Memory Program into our Wellspring community here at Naples.  We have three events scheduled in the upcoming months and invite you to join us!

January 21^st at 3:30 PM: MUSIC THE MAGIC HEALER Presentation by music therapist, Karla Mramor, will reveal how music can help those with dementia. She will show how different types of music can soothe, stimulate or spark a memory. She will share her insights for using Music and Memory to achieve this goal.

January 22^nd at 6:30 PM: ALIVE INSIDE SCREENING An inspirational and emotional story left the audience humming, clapping and cheering at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. The film dramatically portrays the power of music and memory. Refreshments will be served following the screening along with discussion on how music impacts each of us daily, especially those who live with dementia. See the trailer.

  

January 29^th at 5:30 PM: VIRTUAL DEMENTIA TOUR AND CREATE YOUR PLAYLIST EVENT The Virtual Dementia Tour is an interactive, experiential journey into the realities of dementia. It allows you to “walk in the shoes” of your loved one, enabling you to better understand their needs and behaviors. End this journey by starting your own personalized music playlist!

If you are unable to make any of our upcoming events, or have questions about Music and Memory, please contact our Connections Director at 239-598-1368.

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 “Disco Fever” Family Luncheon as Let’s Dance under the disco ball for a Funkytown lunch so put on your platform shoes and Boogie On Down on January 14^th at noon; our Musical Afternoon with Curt Smythe a local entertainer who will be playing fun and entertaining songs that we all know and love on his guitar on January 20^th at 2:30; our Music: The Magic Healer educational session featuring Jessica Mull, certified music therapist, who will provide insight into the impact of music therapy for seniors with dementia as we discuss our implementation of Music and Memory while viewing short videos of success stories with our residents and conduct an iPod and MP3 player donation drive for musical tools to utilize throughout the community on January 21^st at 3:30 pm; our Music Appreciation with Daniel G. Klimoski event featuring him playing the Saxophone, Flute, and Clarinet as well as a sing-a-long while playing the keyboard on January 22^nd at 2:30 pm; our Alive Inside Screening of the inspirational and emotional film dramatically portraying the power of music and memory that left the audience humming and cheering at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Audience Award on January 22^nd at 6:30 pm; or our Virtual Dementia Tour and Create Your Playlist Event an interactive, experiential journey into the realities of dementia that allows you to “walk in the shoes” of your loved one, enabling you to better understand their needs and behaviors, at the end of which you can create your own personalized music playlist on January 29^th at 5:30 pm!

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 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 Family Council Meeting with Debbie Fulton from the Alzheimer Support Network as our guest speaker on our topic of “Coping with Holidays” on December 8^th from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm (RSVP to 239-598-1368 by December 4^th); our Holiday Bread Exchange for a cup of cheer with delightful appetizers, and a fresh baked Holiday Bread made just for you to take home on December 9^th from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm (RSVP to 239-598-1368 by December 5^th); or our Celebrating Holiday Traditions Family Luncheon feast on a variety of traditional Holiday favorites from around the world to celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa and Chanukah with family and friends on December 17^th from noon to 1:00 pm (RSVP to 239-598-1368 by December 10^th)!

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!