Juniper Village at Brookline Supports Taste of the Town

Curls of parmesan cheese… pillows of creamy polenta… ladles of rich Bolognese sauce  -- that’s how Juniper Village at Brookline proudly supported Centre County United Way’s signature fundraiser, Taste of the Town in November. Held at the Penn State Hotel and Conference Center, Taste of the Town is a culinary extravaganza, featuring the works the best chefs in our region who donate their time and talents for this wonderful cause. Hundreds of guests enjoyed an array of savory eats and sweet treats offered by dozens of food booths. This year, Juniper Village at Brookline chefs Kris Kishbaugh and Matt Nevling prepared parmesan polenta topped with Bolognese sauce for the crowd. The dish was a big hit, with many returning for second and even third helpings! When asked if Juniper residents really eat this well, Kris and Matt proudly responded, “As a matter of fact, we’re serving this very dish on Tuesday!” At Juniper, we take food very seriously through the “H’art and Soul of Dining”, one of our Signature Programs that nurtures the body, mind, and soul through culinary experiences for our residents.

A Day of Friendly Competition

Juniper Village at Brookline Senior Living showcased one of its signature programs, Connections, in a day of fellowship, fun, and friendly competition on November 14, 2016. Connections specializes in activities to keep body, mind, and spirit vibrate, and that is exactly what occurred when  Juniper residents and guests from the six Centre County senior centers participated in a day-long competition of Rummikub. This tile-based game, combines the elements of rummy and mahjong, to provide a fun filled 2-4 player match. With over thirty attendees, tables of four were filled in no time at all! As participants registered and were given their assigned starting tables, they enjoyed a scrumptious breakfast buffet provided by the Juniper dietary staff.  Sandy Schuckers, Administrative Office with the Centre County Office of Aging, read the rules and instructions, to mark the start of the first round of play. The rules were simple: the first player at each table to win two games moved onto the next round. Within the first hour, each table had their 'winner' who continued their path to the winner's circle. Those who did not continue on the winning bracket, enjoyed playing non-competitive rounds. As the day went on and the winners' tables slowly decreased, a break was had to provide lunch and treats.  At the end of the tournament the winner, Gladys Vosquez, took home a gift basket full of goodies from local area shops, and the top two runner ups were given Juniper treats. This day of enjoyment is one example of how Juniper Village at Brookline Senior Living nurtures the spirit of life in each individual we touch, not only our residents but community members as well.

Empowered Experts

On November 8, 2016 three residents from Juniper Village at Brookline Senior Living became the newest Pennsylvania Empowered Expert Residents Program (PEERs) at the community. Janice Johnson, Jacki O'Harra, and Jim Powers completed a five-part empowerment training through the Pennsylvania Department of Aging Long-Term Care Ombudsman Office, to become PEERs. This graduation ceremony showcased these three individuals receiving certifications of completion of the course by local volunteer Ombudsman, Susan Radis. Name badges were also provided to the new PEERs to inform campus and community members of their new roles, as well as an embroidered polo tee. Jacki's daughter attended the graduation to be a support to her mom. She shared that Jacki had attended her graduations over the years, so she wanted to attend her mother's graduation.

"The PEERs are a great asset to our community. They provide a service to our residents that we, the staff, cannot provide. Not only are they great advocates for their fellow residents, but they are the bridge between our community and the Office of Aging," says Jill McKenrick, Director of Connections at Juniper Village at Brookline Senior Living. These three, along with eight others at Juniper Village at Brookline, serve to self-advocate and empower other residents to maintain the highest quality of life and quality of care. Monthly meetings are held with the PEER group, staff, and local ombudsman to foster open communication and discussion on campus-wide topics.

Annual Giraffe Awards

On November 3, 2016, founder and CEO of Juniper Communities, Lynne Katzmann, visited Juniper Village at Brookline Senior Living, to do something only she can do, award the Golden Giraffe pin to the staff recipients of the annual Giraffe Award. This award is given to employees who have shown excellence throughout the year in 'Walking the Talk.' This Juniper motto is the backbone to the community's belief in nurturing the spirit of life in each individual we touch.

Giraffe's are the mascot for Juniper Communities because giraffe's represent the willingness of staff to stick their necks out for others and also because of their large hearts. Three staff members were honored during the ceremony for their showcasing of these ideals through exceptional service to residents and staff on a daily basis.
The first to receive the award was Brian Richner, a member of our dining staff. Having worked at Juniper Village at Brookline since 2000, Brian is described by his co-workers as providing a "Personalized experience" to all residents during meals. Katzmann shared that Brian's bright smile helps others to "Just feel up" and that he naturally "Walks the talk."  Kathy Cunningham, a housekeeping employee for the past 13 years, received the Giraffe Award for her "Can do attitude" and being a model to others as she leads by example of excellence. While receiving her pin, Kathy shared "It's an honor to have it."  Deb Lyons, Wellness Assistant, received this annual recognition for her calm presence, flexibility, and ability to "Make people light up," says Katzmann.

During this ceremony, recognition was also given to Denny Yeager, Director of Environmental Services at The Inn & The Willows, for receiving the Pennsylvania Health Care Association (PHCA) Employee of the Year Award. Lynne shared that Denny is the first Juniper Communities employee to receive this prestigious recognition.

Thank you Lynne for your visit to Juniper Village at Brookline and thank you Brian, Kathy, Deb, and Denny, for providing exceptional service to our campus and community.

Juniper Village at Brookline Walks to End Alzheimer’s!

On Saturday, October 29, Team Juniper donned their walking shoes for the 9th consecutive year to support the State College Walk to End Alzheimer’s. It was a blustery, bright morning, as hundreds of walkers gathered at Medlar Field, home of the State College Spikes, to raise support for this wonderful cause. Kicking off the opening ceremony was Penn State men’s basketball coach, Patrick Chambers, who proudly supports the work of the Alzheimer’s Association in memory of his late father. It was a special honor to also hear from Dr. Gong Chen, Penn State professor of biology, whose team is breaking ground in diagnostic tools and pharmaceutical advancements to fight Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Chen spoke about his work in regenerating functional neurons of Alzheimer’s patients. Gail Hamlin, president of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, shared staggering statistics about the disease:  over 5 million people are living with Alzheimer’s in the United States, with 300,000 in Pennsylvania alone. She spoke of the financial and emotional toll the disease has on caregivers, and encouraged all walkers to continue to be advocates for the cause. The ceremony concluded with the Promise Garden, in which purple, yellow, orange, and blue flowers were presented as symbols for why people walk to end Alzheimer’s. Juniper’s own executive director of Wellspring Memory Care, Liz Plozner-Chalfa, represented all orange flower-bearers as someone who works to support the vision of a world without Alzheimer’s. So far, a record-breaking $89,000 has been raised by the State College community for this year’s walk, with fundraising continuing through the end of the year. To make a contribution in support of Team Juniper, click here<http://act.alz.org/site/TR/Walk2016/PA-GreaterPennsylvania?team_id=329380&pg=team&fr_id=9278>.

November 2016 Events in State College, PA: Cherish the Journey

Each November we turn our attention to Family with our Alive In All Seasons Theme: Cherish the Journey. We have always enjoyed helping our residents chronical their individual life journeys through journaling. In addition to keeping track of the daily happenings in our lives, journaling has surprising health benefits as well. University of Texas at Austin psychologist and researcher James Pennebaker contends that regular journaling strengthens immune cells, called T-lymphocytes. He also believes that writing about stressful events helps you come to terms with them, thus reducing the impact of stress on your health. Other research indicates that journaling decreases the symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. Scientific evidence also shows that writing your thoughts down can help clarify your thoughts and feelings, help you to know yourself better, reduce stress, and problem solve more effectively. An additional benefit of journaling is that you are leaving a legacy for future generations. Review your journal together! Reminiscing about the events in one’s life is a way to affirm who they are, what they’ve accomplished in life and relive happy times. So, pick up a pen and Cherish the Journey, the benefits are endless!

Join our journey through November as we honor and celebrate family and the journey of life with our autobiographical journaling. Help us support our greater community with our annual Food Drive and our on-site support groups. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Our fabulous November 2016 events in State College, PA at Juniper Village at Brookline Senior Living include our:

§  Veteran’s Day patriotic themed reception following a presentation by guest speaker and veteran, Sergeant Sergio Carmona, honoring our resident veterans for their service to this great country that is open to the public on November 11th from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm. (No RSVP required.)

§  Centre County Senior Rummikub Tournament as we are calling all game players to join us for a fun-filled event in which players will compete for prizes and the ultimate title of Rummikub Master at this light-hearted tournament that is sure to get your competitive side excited on November 14^th from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm. (RSVP to 814-235-2041.)

We look forward to sharing our November 2016 events in State College, PA at Juniper Village at Brookline Senior Living with you as you Cherish the Journey.