Cherish the Journey: November Events

Life is a journey filled with lessons, celebrations and special moments that ultimately lead us to our destination, our purpose in life. The road will not always be smooth and we may encounter many challenges. Some of these will test our courage, strengths, weaknesses, and faith. Along the way, we may stumble upon obstacles that must be overcome. But, sometimes these obstacles are really blessings in disguise, although we may not realize it at the time. How we react to the situations we face will determine what the rest of our journey will be like.

This month Juniper Communities will honor our Families and cherish the journey we have taken together. November is all about celebrating the bonds we share and recognizing where we’ve been and where we’re going. We will do this through autobiographical journaling, reminiscing about family celebrations and breaking bread together in Thanksgiving. In order to support our families along this journey we will continue to develop our support groups and provide additional resources when needed. We will give back through our Annual Food Drive. From November 1 through November 30 all non-perishable food items collected will be donated to a local food bank.

Our fabulous activity offerings this month include our Annual Food Drive where you can drop off non-perishable food items for Interfaith Food Pantry and Food Bank of New Jersey anytime all month long (we donate to both places in recognition of the fact that many of our residents and families are from a different region than many of our employees); our Family Traditions program with Rabbi Newfield that will bring back memories of holidays past while discussing traditions and how they came to be on November 6^th at 2:00 pm; our Is it Really Dementia CEU Class covering the signs and symptoms of dementia and related disorders on November 13^th at 2:00 pm; our Pulmonary Connection CEU Class about breathing disorders and overall health on November 18^th at 2:00 pm; our Thanksgiving Day Celebration where we invite family and friends to share our traditional Thanksgiving Day Buffet on November 20^th at 5:00 pm; or our Ellis Island dramatic presentation by Mark Simmons depicting vignettes of some of the most memorable immigrants first arrival moments on November 22^nd at 2:00 pm.

Look through our calendar and plan to join us for family celebrations, Thanksgiving dinners and many events and activities allowing us all to reflect and Cherish the Journey!

Oktoberfest!!!

October 16th was a special day as we celebrated Oktoberfest!!! Eric Kerssan entertained us (resplendant in lederhosen and alpine hat) with a variety of polkas and other tunes on the accordion. We had cider, beer, German sausages and pretzels, and the packed house was on their feet. Also, it was National Boss Day, and our ED Joann Malanga was honored by her management team. A great day for all!

Red Hats

Juniper's Red Hats were the guests for lunch at the Beacon Hill Club, courtesy of the daughter of one of our residents. It was a dreary day outside, but that didn't dampen our spirits! Conversation flowed, and when dessert time came, we all reminisced about our favorite strawberry shortcake recipes. However, everyone was in agreement that this one had the best presentation!

Juniper Supports Breast Cancer Awareness

Pictured here is our very own Hatcher Micone, a breast cancer survivor. We at Juniper feel it is imperative to join the battle and support Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Healthy Aging Resource Library

Juniper Village invites you to "Check Out" our new books recently purchased for our Healthy Aging Resource Library. These books are opening the possibilities of gaining new knowledge right at our finger tips. Please, come visit and learn.

Down the Shore

Sadly, we said farewell to end of summer with our last trip "down the shore".  We had a lovely lunch at McCloone's in Long Branch, then spent some time contemplating the ocean and one courageous surfer who just couldn't catch a wave.  We were blessed once again with perfect weather.  Hope fall doesn't disappoint!

Show Your Colors: October Events

October brings forth vibrant color in our foliage as well as our sports teams. Our high school football teams will be in full swing and hockey season will prepare to fill the stands with team colors and spirit. Juniper Communities will also be honoring our colors with many sports-themed activities and events. We will be enjoying the changing colors of the season as we transition from summer to fall and the crazy costumes of our annual Halloween celebrations.

While showing our colors we not only focus on our team colors, but also showing our true colors. We recognize that working together as a team, results in better coordination of care, better quality of care and as a result better lives for our residents. This is evidenced by our excellent clinical outcomes data. We are happy to see the results of collaboration resulting in decreased re-hospitalizations and better quality of life for our residents.

Our fabulous activity offerings this month include our Inspiring Athletes Lecture in which Paul White introduces us to 20 athletes who have overcome challenges and become role models for others on October 13^th at 6:30 pm; our Happy Birthday NJ Presentation featuring Emily Embler from Morris Museum with an exciting and informative program on the Birth of NJ on October 14^th at 2:00 pm; our Elopement Risk and Prevention CEU Class on October 16^th at 2:30 pm; our Oktoberfest Celebration with fun-filled accordion player, Eric Kersser, and beer sampling along with many other surprises on October 16^th at 3:00 pm; our Cardio Connection CEU Class on October 21^st at 2:00 pm; or our Sorcery in the Bible Discussion that looks at the Biblical prohibition of sorcery and its ramifications as well as a look at specific times that sorcery was performed in the Bible on October 29^th at 10:00 am!

Please look through our calendar to celebrate the spirit of autumn with us and Show Your Colors!