Historic Blizzard Hits Lebanon!

When Lebanon, PA got hit with over 30 inches of snow in one weekend, shattering the old record, the Juniper Village staff stepped up to the plate to make sure that there was coverage of all shifts.  Sable Cheresini and Lisa Stifler from Wellness stayed over two shifts, and Venetta Hunsicker from Dining Services slept on a couch in The Club.

Many other staff also stayed past the end of their shifts, came in early, and got rides from others as possible.  Even our own Director, Joan-Marie Norman, personally picked up staff through all hours of the night and day.  Environmental Services also worked around the clock, plowing, shoveling, salting, and even climbing on rooftops to shovel snow away from vents and to prevent the roof from collapsing.  

Because of the dedication of all of our staff, the residents didn't even notice that anything was different! I'm sure that all of the families of the residents were relieved to know that there was full coverage of all shifts in the Dining and Wellness areas.  It made me proud to be part of such a wonderful team.  One resident, Mary B., stated that because everything was taken care of by the staff, she was able to sit back and simply enjoy the beauty of nature.  I'm sure that sentiment was echoed by all of the residents!

Bowling Fun at Juniper Village at Lebanon

Our co-worker Lindsay Bender, the Business Office Assistant, made our Christmas at Juniper Village at Lebanon a little more exciting by placing a very large and mysterious wrapped gift under the Christmas tree in The Village.  We forgot to open it during the excitement of our Christmas party and Open House, and we still forgot to open it on Christmas morning.  But finally on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve, we remembered the special gift that Lindsay and her two daughters had so lovingly chosen and wrapped just for us, and we tore into it with all of the excitement of Christmas morning.  And just like those Christmas mornings from long ago, the gift was a special game:  an Electronic Tabletop Bowling Alley, complete with all of the bells and whistles and sound effects of a real bowling alley!  Luckily, Lindsay was there to help us assemble our new game and to supply us with all of the many needed batteries. (Lindsay is always the one we go to for tech help!)  Very soon, we had everything assembled, found just the right table, and the contests began!  We took turns bowling all afternoon.  The pictures speak for themselves about how much fun everyone had that day.  Lindsay’s daughters are planning to challenge our residents some afternoon, if they ever get a snow day!  Many thanks to Lindsay and her family for their amazing thoughtfulness and generosity!

Elvis Was In The Building!

On Friday, January 8th, we celebrated Elvis' birthday all day long at Juniper Village at Lebanon.  We started off with some Elvis trivia, surfed the Internet to find out more about his life, had a special Family and Friends Luncheon featuring his favorite foods, and wrapped up the evening with a screening of his movie, "Jail House Rock".  But the highlight of the day was when Elvis actually entered the building at 2:00 pm and treated us to an hour of his best numbers.  Residents, staff, and family members were dancing in the aisles, and ladies in the first row were swooning as he threw his sweat-soaked scarves into the crowd as souvenirs.  Elvis only took one break, and that was to let resident crooner Paul H. sing a Neil Diamond number, which the crowd also enjoyed.  It was standing room only, and Elvis shook everyone's hand before he left the building.  One interesting note: baritone John Garloff already had the voice down before this program, but he always had a full beard and moustache.  JUST FOR JUNIPER VILLAGE, John shaved off his beard and moustache that morning.  Even his own college student granddaughter did not recognize him when he made his entrance in his Elvis attire!  John immediately started growing out his beard after this performance, as this is the only all-Elvis show he plans to do!  We owe a great deal of thanks and a thunderous round of applause to John Garloff and his supportive family for making this event possible!

The Bologna Drops Early at Juniper Village at Lebanon, PA!

We started our New Year's Eve celebration a day early at Juniper Village at Lebanon.  We have been privileged to have world-renowned pianist Karl Hausman at our New Year's Eve Party for the past several years, and this year he could only do our party if we scheduled it a day early, so that's what we did.  We might do this every year from now on, because we had a packed house with standing room only!  The night started out with a wonderful Family Dinner featuring steamed shrimp and Asian Pot Stickers.  Then the party moved to our lobby, where we were serving trays of cheese, crackers, and of course.....Lebanon bologna!  Karl put on quite a show, which inspired residents and family members to get up and dance!  Then at the stroke of midnight (or actually 7 PM Lebanon time), the lights were dimmed and our very own lighted bologna was dropped as the crowd shouted out the countdown from 10 to 1.  Then Karl played Auld Lang Syne on the piano as everyone toasted with their real champagne or sparkling cider.  It was a magical night that everyone was still talking about the next day.

January 2016 Events in Lebanon, PA: Welcome New Beginnings

Happy New Year! January is the time when we all welcome new beginnings and set resolutions to make this year better than the last. But how does one keep those resolutions throughout the year ahead? The New York Times offers four suggestions: First, make a concrete plan, something visual to embed it to memory. Second, put something you value on the line – is it your health or your pocketbook – keep that in mind when you are tempted to break your resolution. Third, bundle your temptations. For instance, you want to exercise more, but struggle getting to the gym and you also have a fondness for gossip magazines but feel they are a waste of time. Combine the two – read the magazines only at the gym! And fourth, seek social support. You can achieve more by pursuing goals with the help of a mentor.

Still haven’t made any resolutions? Resolve to join us every month for a wide variety of events and activities. This month we explore our creativity through music with outings to local musical performances, Elvis’ birthday celebrations and concerts by our Joyful Noise Choir. We invite you to Welcome New Beginnings and make regular visits to Juniper Village part of your new year’s goals!

Our fabulous January 2016 events in Lebanon, PA at Juniper Village at Lebanon include our:

§  Understanding the Benefits of Music Therapy with WB Music Therapy, a company that provides individual and group music therapy to several personal care, assisted living and nursing care facilities in the south central PA region as they help people living with Alzheimer’s disease and/or Dementia: decrease agitation, communicate and make music in group activities, interact with others, recall and process memories, increase range of motion, participate in reality-based interactions, express and process feelings in a supportive environment, and improve quality of life, so join us to learn more about WB Music Therapy and how these specialized programs can help your loved ones and community residents at this complimentary program that will be held in The Club of the Community House with a light lunch provided on January 13^th from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. (Please RSVP to 717-272-8782.)

§  Blood Drive For Central PA Blood Bank because each pint of blood donated can save as many as three lives, so join us at Juniper Village to make your contribution to the Central PA Blood Bank set-up in The Club of the Community House, and everyone’s participation is encouraged and much appreciated, plus a special “Goody Bag” will be given to each participant on January 19^th from 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm.

§  Drum Circle Therapy with Wendy and Scott Gilbert of Drum2B1 who will share their passion and the therapeutic benefits of “beating the drum” at this hands-on session that will lift your spirit and soothe your soul, so please consider joining us in the Village Lobby as you won’t be disappointed on January 28^th from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. (Program is free, but please RSVP to 717-272-8782.)

We look forward to sharing our January 2016 events in Lebanon, PA at Juniper Village at Lebanon with you as we Welcome New Beginnings.

Holiday Open House with Cookie Exchange and Special Visit from Santa!

The residents, staff, families and visitors of Juniper Village at Lebanon were treated to a special visit from Santa at our annual Holiday Open House.  Santa brought gifts for all of the residents and for the children in attendance, and everyone, regardless of size or age, got to sit on Santa's lap.  After getting their picture taken with Santa, each person moved on to the Cookie Exchange table to get some goodies and fill up a take-out bag with cookies!  Special music was provided by Allen Kohl on the accordion in The Village, and by Gary Cohen on the piano in The Club.  It was a very relaxing evening where everyone was able to linger over cookies and drinks and catch up with relatives they haven't seen in a while.  A special surprise came from our director, Joan-Marie Norman, whose husband Chuck brought in a beautiful mailbox for letters to Santa, which was made by his students at the Reading Vo-Tech School.  Santa was very impressed, and it was only minutes before someone was already putting a letter into the new mailbox, which is located in the Village lobby.  Many thanks to everyone who made cookies and helped in any way to make this a wonderful evening for all!

Santa’s Mailbox

Santa came to visit.  We have an original Santa mailbox for families to drop those important letters. Mailbox made by Joan-Marie Norman’s husband’s Career & Technology students.