A Meal that Matters

Juniper Village at Brookline has been recognized as a platinum sponsor to the State College Meals on Wheels program for over fifteen years. Meals on Wheels is a national organization that has thrived in the State College area serving more than 1 million meals to community members in State College since its start in 1971. This home delivered meal service provides nutritious meals to high risk individuals including older adults and convalescent individuals in our community who otherwise would not be able to prepare their own meals. Nearly 150 volunteers and three paid staff provide nearly 100 meals a day, five days a week to ensure those in need receive these meals.
Juniper Village at Brookline took another opportunity to support Meals on Wheels by donating enough fresh fruit for several days of meal delivery.  Fresh fruit is sometimes a missing item of meals due to the short shelf life and the increased cost of produce, however it is "always appreciated" says Christine Tyler, the executive director of the State College Meals on Wheels program.  Juniper Village at Brookline is lucky to be a part of a larger community that serves those in need.

For more information on how Juniper Village at Brookline supports the State College and Centre County community, please visit www.junipercommunities.com or check out our Facebook page at Juniper Village at Brookline. For more information on State College Meals on Wheels, please visit their website at www.scmow.2stayconnected.com.

Wheels in Motion

Juniper Village at Brookline Senior Living has been working diligently on putting in motion the moving parts that make up Connect 4 Life; Juniper's integrated care model in senior housing. This month a Meet & Greet was held for Connie Smith and Cierra McCaulley, two of the key players in the Connect 4 Life model. Connie Smith, CRNP, serves as the on-site Redwood Health Partners nurse practitioner. Redwood's on-site practice allows their patients to have same day appointments on scheduled clinic days, time during appointments to ask questions about care, and coordination with other professionals to provide the highest quality approach to meeting the needs of their patients. Cierra McCaulley, medical concierge, is affectionately referred to as the tour guide for residents and families.  She is responsible for managing appointments, deciphering recent physician visits, and coordinating care.

Another piece of the Connect 4 Life model is the on-site therapy department. Benchmark Therapy company is present five days a week at Juniper Village Senior Living and serves to meet the physical wellness piece of resident care. Theralink Days were started this month and fourteen residents attended the first of what will become a monthly program in which residents participate in different therapy stations. Each station involves a physical task that is witnessed by a therapist and recorded for the resident to track his/her progress over time. A nurse is also present to review the resident's vital signs and even a maintenance team member is present to provide inspections of walkers and wheelchairs.

Juniper Village at Brookline Senior Living is excited to provide the integrated program of health services, Connect 4 Life, to its residents. For more information on how Connect 4 Life is addressing care needs for its participates, please visit www.junipercommunities.com

Juniper Village at Brookline Hosts Dinner and Discussion on Fall Prevention

Slips, trips, and falls – they can happen to us all. Recently, Juniper Village at Brookline held a “Dinner and Discussion” about fall prevention and safety awareness, featuring our Partners in Caring from RehabCare. Presenting were Corey Sheehan, director of physical therapy, and Jessica Paul, physical therapist. Corey and Jessica addressed the fear of falling that many people have, and how it can negatively impact one’s quality of life. They then provided useful tips for preventing falls, such as simple home modifications, improved footwear, and regular exercise. RehabCare provides excellence in therapy services at Juniper Village at Brookline’s Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing building, helping individuals to regain independence and improve quality of life.

As always, chef Kris Kishbaugh and his culinary team prepared a healthy and delicious meal for guests, that included roasted chicken with an orange ginger marmalade over sautéed spinach, a carrot, fennel and yam puree, and cheesecake with fresh seasonal berries.

Juniper Village at Brookline’s “Dinner and Discussions” are free to the public! To be sure you don’t miss our next event, like and follow Juniper Village at Brookline on facebook and subscribe to our blog!

June 2017 Events in State College, PA: Live In Wellness

“You are what you eat.” The old adage is now truer than ever. Good health is largely dependent on good nutrition, so much so that doctors trace many physical and emotional ailments back to a diet deficient in vitamins and minerals. Eating a well-balanced diet is a major part of encouraging long life, lowering the incidence of disease, and helping sick people recover. On the flip side, inadequate nutrition and poor quality foods can generally cut life span and open us up to many illnesses and disease. In effect, food is medicine per Webster's definition of medicine: "The science and art dealing with the maintenance of health and the prevention, alleviation, or cure of disease." Food acts as medicine - to maintain, prevent, and treat disease.

With this month’s Alive in All Seasons focus on food, we’d like to give you a prescription for a healthy diet: breakfast daily (do not skip); meals x3 (at least) daily; foods from each of the food groups per meal daily. The food pyramid defines the food groups as grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy and proteins. The amounts vary according to age, sex, height, weight, and physical activity level. Here’s a good guideline to start you on your way. Make half your plate fruits and vegetables. Make half your grains whole grains. Move to low-fat and fat-free dairy. Vary your protein routine and eat and drink the right amount for you.

Join us as we continue our focus on healthy aging by shedding light on our hydration program with healthy snacks and juices, and demonstrate how food and nutrition help us to Live in Wellness from a dietitian’s point of view.

Our fabulous June 2017 events in State College, PA at Juniper Village at Brookline Senior Living include our:

§  Understanding the Psychiatric Issues of Dementia this 4-hour training will be presented by Linda Shumaker, Outreach Coordinator at the PA Behavioral Health and Aging Coalition, and will focus on the psychiatric complications of dementia as well as issues of depression in both family and professional caregivers because according to the 2014 Pennsylvania State Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders, 400,000 Pennsylvanians are living with the disease on June 7^th from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm. (Doors open at 9:30 am; to register for the CEU event visit www.olderpa.org.)

§  Dinner & Discussion Live in Wellness Dietary Needs for Seniors to join our registered dietician, Katherine Haar, for this informative and delicious take on what we need to keep our bodies operating well at any age while we enjoy a delectable dinner featuring a grilled corn and pepper salad, flank steak, and oven roasted potatoes on June 21^st at 5:30 pm. (RSVP to 814-235-2041 and include any dietary restrictions.)

§  Family Picnic to come one, come all to this annual event that residents, family members, and invited guests look forward to all year long, as we enjoy classic cookout foods and drinks under the big tent, along with live entertainment for all ages, so be sure to watch for your invitation in the mail to this party on June 25^th from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm.

We look forward to sharing our June 2017 events in State College, PA at Juniper Village at Brookline Senior Living with you as you Live In Wellness.

A Bountiful Brunch

On Sunday May 7th, a celebratory Mother's Day event was held at Juniper Village at Brookline Senior Living in order to recognize the remarkable women which help to make the Juniper Senior Living community the amazing place that all of us here have come to love. In a place as warm and welcoming as the Brookline campus is, it would come as no surprise to find out that the ladies of Brookline account for nearly three-fourths of the entire population.  What better way to celebrate this extraordinary group than with a special day?

In order to properly mark the celebration of these truly outstanding Mothers, Grand-mothers, and maternal figures, residents and their guests were treated to a bountiful buffet brunch which featured an amazing array of comfort foods.  Baked oatmeal, seafood lasagna, pastries, and other delicacies were served; celebratory mimosas and punch were also to be found on the menu. Included guests were friends and family members, many of which represented multiple generations of the same family, all of whom excitedly shared in fellowship and camaraderie throughout the meal while regaling each other with stories of family both new and old.

The buffet brunch was served in both personal care areas of The Inn and The Pines, as well as the dining room at The Willows independent living. Over three hundred attendees participated in the event to honor these special women. Providing on-site holiday celebrations is one way in which Juniper continues to nurture the spirit of life in each individual.

May 2017 Events in State College, PA: Grow Strong Daily

Continuing our Spring Alive In All Seasons focus on healthy again, we continue to let wellbeing thrive with a May focus on Fitness. Staying fit throughout all seasons of life is possible and at Juniper we promote fitness every day of the week! We recently shared on our Facebook page a New York Times story, authored by Gretchen Reynolds, providing results from the Mayo Clinic who recently conducted an experiment on the cells of 72 healthy but sedentary men and women who were 30 or younger or older than 64. The volunteers were randomly assigned to a particular exercise regimen. There were some unsurprising differences: The gains in muscle mass and strength were greater for those who exercised only with weights, while interval training had the strongest influence on endurance. But more unexpected results were found in the biopsied muscle cells. It seems as if the decline in the cellular health of muscles associated with aging was “corrected” with exercise, especially if it was intense, says Dr. Sreekumaran Nair, a professor of medicine and an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic and the study’s senior author. In fact, older people’s cells responded in some ways more robustly to intense exercise than the cells of the young did. So pick up those weights, get on that bike and remember it’s never too late to benefit from exercise. And if you’re not doing so already, follow us on social media so you don’t miss a thing.

We invite you to Grow Strong Daily along with us with programs such as Fitness Five and our Route 66 Walking Program. Learn more about fitness and keeping your heart healthy at our Heart Healthy Luncheon and educational presentation. Staying fit throughout all seasons of life is possible.

Our fabulous May 2017 events in State College, PA at Juniper Village at Brookline Senior Living include our:

§  Morning Moves Chair Dancing as we enjoy a morning workout with a fun class that uses upbeat music to create a lively, exciting atmosphere during this innovative class that gives you the best of both words, cardio and strength training, while remaining seated comfortably throughout the program on May 15^th at 10:30 am.

§  Dinner & Discussion Fall Prevention because slips, trips, and falls can happen to us all, but most falls can be prevented, so join us for this informative discussion by the therapy team from Rehab Care about fall prevention and safety awareness as we will learn some exercises to strengthen our muscles and improve our balance, as well as modifications we can make for a safer home environment on May 17^th at 5:30 pm. (RSVPs and any dietary restrictions required by May 12^th at 814-235-2005.)

§  Gin in the Evening as partnering with Penn State Hershey, Juniper Village is calling all area healthcare professionals who work in, around, or are interested in geriatric healthcare, because you won’t want to miss this exciting networking event, as we will be hosting a Centre County Geriatric Interest Network (GIN) get-together with wonderful food and drink, and sparkling conversation with donations accepted for the Alzheimer’s Association on May 31^st from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm.

We look forward to sharing our May 2017 events in State College, PA at Juniper Village at Brookline Senior Living with you as you Grow Strong Daily.

Community Partner

Juniper Village at Brookline was pleased to host Penn State's Center for Healthy Aging as they presented their Aging Lecture Series discussion on bone health held on April 20, 2017. Over forty community members, residents, and family members gathered to listen to Mary Jane DeSouza, professor of kinesiology at Penn State, discuss the science behind strong bones and how to maintain long-term bone health. Attendees were given tips on keeping bones healthy and strong through exercise, supplements, and good old-fashioned sunshine (Vitamin D). Professor DeSouza shared information on her current research study in which dried plums are being used at varying quantities each day as a natural supplement to support bone health. Although this is a four-year study, she shared that the initial findings are very promising.

Juniper Village is proud to serve as a gathering location for community events, such as the Healthy Aging Lecture Series, that highlight current research studies and up-to-date resources offered through Penn State and the State College community.  Juniper Village has opened its doors for numerous community partners such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Centre County Senior Center Coalition, Geriatric Interest Network, Chamber of Business and Industry in Centre County, Centre County Orchestra, American Red Cross, FUSE Productions, Penn State Hershey, and many other community organizations. For information on upcoming community events at Juniper Village at Brookline, please visit www.junipercommunities.com or 'Like' us on Facebook.