It Is Never Too Cold For Ice Cream!!!

The temperature in Lebanon, PA may have been 5 degrees outside, but that didn't stop the Residents of Juniper Village from enjoying their favorite dessert, ICE CREAM. The Residents worked together to create "Lebanon's Largest Banana Split." They used over 20 bananas, 12 gallons of ice cream, and a variety of toppings to make their 9-foot-long banana split. The smiles on their faces show the fun they had.

Happy 80th Birthday Elvis!!!!

The Residents and staff of Juniper Village at Lebanon celebrated the King's 80th birthday with a musical tribute featuring his most beloved songs.  Juniper Village Resident Paul Hirlinger performed his favorite Elvis tune, "Love Me Tender."  The Residents enjoyed having the opportunity to get their picture taken with Elvis.  Some even gave the King a birthday kiss.

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 A Tribute to Elvis celebration where we welcome everyone to come sing along to your favorite tune as we stroll down memory lane remembering the Legend of Elvis who would be celebrating his 80th birthday this year on January 8^th at 10:30 am; our Drum Circle Therapy session as Wendy and Scott Gilbert will share their passion and the therapeutic benefits of “beating the drum” to lift your spirit and soothe your soul on January 22^nd at 6:00 pm; or our An Evening of Jazz event at The Club with musical entertainment and light refreshments on January 27^th at 4:00 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!

Santa Came to Visit!

On our recent Family Night, we enjoyed a visit from Santa Claus. Children of all ages had the opportunity to sit on Santa's lap and have their picture taken. Residents, staff and their guests enjoyed cookies, hot chocolate and egg nog after visiting with Santa. Everyone who sat on Santa's lap received a little gift from him. The younger children received chocolate Santas and candy canes, while the residents received caramel corn. It was a fun-filled evening. Now, bring on Christmas!

Christmas is Coming!

We have been busy preparing for Christmas here at Juniper Village at Lebanon. Our residents have been making our building more festive with many different decorations. Some of the decorations they made themselves! One of our own staff collaborated with one of our residents to create a holiday quilt that is now adorning the wall of our dining room. Our Joyful Noise Chorus traveled to the Maple Street Senior Center to perform holiday songs. They did a wonderful job, as always!

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 “Putting on the Glitz” Event special holiday showcase with Julie Zinsser, proprietor of Whimzee Boutique, for holiday accessories and gifts which range from the unusual to spectacular on December 2^nd at 7:00 pm; our Holiday Open House as we celebrate the holidays with love and laughter you can bring a tray of your family’s favorite cookies with recipe attached to share during our cookie exchange and little ones will have the opportunity to have their picture taken with Santa on December 11^th at 6:00 pm; or our Joyful Noise Christmas Concert in the Village Lobby to hear and sing along to your favorite holiday songs on December 22^nd at 3:30 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!