Another Fun Field Trip for Juniper

We planned a very special field trip to Cranberry Lake in New Jersey.  The trip was significant as Cranberry Lake is where our 98 year old resident grew up, and where her father built a cottage so many years ago.  She eagerly recounts stories from the many summers she spent there, and the property remains in the family today.  We had lunch at the Stonewood Tavern, and then drove around the lake.  It was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed seeing her old stomping grounds at last!

A Performance by the Chatham Community Band is an Annual Event

Residents and staff look forward to summer, and each year anxiously await a concert by the Chatham Community band.  We were fortunate that they could perform outside this year, even though it was pretty hot, but that didn't dampen our spirits.  The group played some rousing marches as well as timeless classics, and the evening was a delight for us all.

A Red Hats Afternoon in Chatham

Our Red Hats Ladies group gathered in our courtyard on a sunny day to have some refreshments and to discuss future service project ideas.  Currently, we sew small "love pillows" with fabric adorned with frogs (Juniper trademark) to give to new residents as a welcome gift.  They are well received and fun to make.  Why not join our group?

July 2017 Events in Chatham, NJ: Stand In Integrity

Each summer Juniper Village begins our quarterly Alive in All Seasons focus on Staying Connected. We promote staying connected to the community, the environment and each other. In July we shed light on staying connected to our community through volunteerism. Do you know that, as a company, we receive more than 10,000 hours of precious volunteer time each year? We have many volunteers, both human and animal, who contribute to our mission of nurturing the spirit of life. Elizabeth Andrew said it best, “volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” This month we honor all of the wonderful volunteers who make time to share a bit of their heart with us. We appreciate those who lead groups in our communities; those who share their unique skills and talents with our residents; those who provide friendly visits to our residents and give a reassuring hug or comforting puppy kiss; and the many, many other special people who enhance our lives.

This month as we focus on volunteerism we invite you to find a way that you can make a difference. Whether helping us at Juniper Village or another organization, volunteering has countless emotional and physical health benefits. Volunteering gives a boost not only to those receiving, but to those giving of their time as well.

Review our full calendar and make time to join us for any and all events.

This month we highlight our Ambassador Program and other volunteer opportunities for residents. In addition to volunteer opportunities, we invite you to join us during July for our summer celebrations and share our thanks as we honor those who Stand In Integrity with us.

Our fabulous July 2017 events in Chatham, NJ at Juniper Village at Chatham include our:

§  Independence Day Barbecue for Hamburgers and Hotdogs with all the great fixings served with fun and sun, so join us for the best barbecue in town on July 4^th at 11:30 am. (RSVP by calling 973-966-5483.)

§  Concert Under the Stars with entertainment provided by Chatham Community Band, this will be a fabulous evening, so don’t miss it; bring your friends, your lawn chairs and join us for a musical extravaganza on July 11^th at 7:00 pm Rain or Shine.

§  Don’t be a Victim learn how to protect yourself against Medicare fraud, waste and abuse, and have your Medicare questions answered at this educational event on July 18^th at 6:30 pm. (For more information call 973-966-5483.)

§  Volunteer Breakfast to thank you for all you do for us, we invite you to pick-up your complimentary Burrito Breakfast and get your day started right at Juniper Village on July 21^st from 8:00 am to 10:00 am.

We look forward to sharing our July 2017 events in Chatham, NJ at Juniper Village at Chatham with you as you Stand In Integrity.

Ice Cream Days at Chatham

What better way to pass the time on a record setting hot day than with an ice cream social?  Residents and their "best friends" got together to make ice cream sundaes with all the fixings.  Summer is definitely here, so we look forward to having more socials throughout the next couple of months.

Chatham's staff picnic was a blast!

Our staff has really bonded, and that was abundantly clear at our official Staff Picnic!  We intended to hold the picnic outdoors, but mother nature intervened, and we moved inside just before it rained buckets, but that didn't stop the fun!  We set up the food in the bistro, and had games and a lively DJ in the library.  The relaxed vibe and sense of community was great, and we topped things off with a raffle of beach-themed items.  It was a terrific way to kick off the summer!

Juniper Village Provides a Senior Lounge at the Fishawack Festival

Juniper Village is proud to be an active part of the Chatham community, so we were front and center for the 46th Annual Fishawack Festival.  This is a fun day for everyone, with 1 mile fun run race sponsored by the Jaycees, benefiting  local non-profit groups, great eats including a strawberry shortcake festival at one of the churches, and plenty of things to buy from local vendors, as well as giveaways.  It was a hot day, so Juniper created a "senior lounge" with tents, cool water, and covered hay bales for people to rest.  It was a great time for all.

Our Chatham Family is Growing!

It isn't often that three employees are expecting at the same time, but that is exactly what we celebrated yesterday at Juniper Village at Chatham!  Residents and staff all pitched in to hold a shower for all three upcoming moms, who were overwhelmed by the turnout.  Come August and September, our community will be welcoming two baby boys and a baby girl to our family, and we can't wait to meet them!!!

June 2017 Events in Chatham, NJ: 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 Chatham, NJ at Juniper Village at Chatham include our:

§  What to Eat because from fueling our growth to helping prevent disease, food – and what we choose to eat – has a big impact on our lives, so join us as nutritionist Jennifer Luster enlightens us on how to eat better and live longer on June 20^th at 6:30 pm.

§  Wine & Cheese a wonderful opportunity to taste and learn about a topic that has been discussed and mulled over for centuries, so join us as Stuart Liss, a sommelier, orchestrates the pairing of wine and cheese because choosing the right combinations can be overwhelming and downright complicated on June 21^st at 6:30 pm.

§  Improve your Digestion with our health and fitness Guru, Greg Quinn,  who returns with a program discussing the natural balance approach of healthy digestion, and many of your questions will be answered concerning your digestive system following the presentation on June 29^th at 2:00 pm.

We look forward to sharing our June 2017 events in Chatham, NJ at Juniper Village at Chatham with you as you Live In Wellness.

A Celebration of Cultures at Juniper Village at Chatham!

We are so fortunate to have such a diverse staff from so many different cultures!!!  To learn more about each other and everyone's background, we invited the staff to do what families traditionally do: share food.  Each staff member brought a dish that was a specialty from their country or culture, and we enjoyed the feast!!!  It was great fun!

We love our Mothers at Juniper Village at Chatham!

Motherhood was celebrated in a big way in Chatham!  The dining room was decorated with pink balloons, pink table linens, and each table had beautiful pink potted hydrangeas as centerpieces.  The meal was delicious; prime rib, stuffed chicken breast, scalloped potatoes and fresh asparagus.  For dessert, a Viennese table was set up with all sorts of pastries.  Every mom was given a fresh rose to take, as they made their way to the afternoon's entertainment.  The day before Mother's Day, we had vendors come in to sell gifts to residents and family members.  Happy Mother's Day to all!!!

Ole!! Happy Cinco de Mayo from Chatham!!!

Our Cinco de Mayo Fiesta was amazing!  The dining room was festively decorated, and residents and staff donned big hats and colorful beads to honor the occasion. For our happy hour, we were entertained by our resident Efren and two other musicians. Instead of the usual fare of wine and cheese, we served margaritas, guacamole, salsa and chips. It was a really good time, and a nice way to welcome the month of May.

May 2017 Events in Chatham, NJ: 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 Chatham, NJ at Juniper Village at Chatham include our:

§  Yoga Series on our great front lawn as we enjoy the relaxing and invigorating stretches of yoga with Jillian Keller as she encourages us to get in touch with our inner selves Every Saturday in May at 9:30 am. (Cost is $4 per participant.)

§  Moses Rocks as we present Peter Small impersonating the man who parted seas for this educational and spiritual presentation about the prophet in Abrahamic religions who, according to the Hebrew Bible, was a former Egyptian prince who later in life became a religious leader on May 4^th at 3:00 pm.

§  Classic Comedy of Radio & TV as Walter Choroszewski presents the history of broadcast comedy from its radio debut in the 1920’s through its Golden Age with Abbott & Costello, Burns & Allen and many more, and concludes with the creation of classic sitcoms including “The Honeymooners” and all-time favorite “I Love Lucy” on May 23^rd at 2:00 pm.

We look forward to sharing our May 2017 events in Chatham, NJ at Juniper Village at Chatham with you as you Grow Strong Daily.

Purple Picnic Day at Chatham a Great Success!!!

What a wonderful afternoon at Juniper Village at Chatham!!!  We held our first annual Purple Picnic Day to raise money for the New Jersey chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, and it was a grand success.  The association provided giveaways for our picnickers in the way of wrist bands, pens, and flyers, along with a display with members from the organization.  Our residents joined in with our purple theme, adorning all shades of the color.  We served blueberry-based smoothies, purple punch, hors d'oeuvres, purple cupcakes, and purple-colored chocolate pretzels.  And we raised $385 for the cause!  This event will surely become a tradition here at Juniper!!!

The Hunt Was on at Juniper Village at Chatham!

Although the sky was overcast and it was chilly, the kids had a great time at our annual Easter Egg Hunt. Plastic eggs with candy inside were scattered all over the great lawn, as well as in trees and bushes. To make it a lot more challenging for the older ones, the eggs were painted camouflaged, and that really kept them busy. Then we played games and prizes were given out. Happy Easter!

Spring Has Sprung in Branch Brook Park

Our timing was perfect this year for our annual trip to see the cherry blossoms in Branch Brook Park in Newark.  The park is 360 acres and is the largest public park in Newark.  It was created in 1895, and initially was only 60 acres, but grew in size in the 1920's through private donations from prominent Newark families.  The park has over 4,300 cherry trees, which is the largest grouping of cherry trees in the U.S.  Residents were thrilled to see the blossoms at their peak, and were eager to reminisce about the city of Newark and of memorable times spent there.

Passover Seder at Juniper Village at Chatham

This year’s Passover Seder was a huge success and very well attended.  Alice and Richard Barron led the group in prayer. Each resident received their own Seder plate and were given instructions when to taste each item and what it meant. Many of the participants were not of the Jewish faith but wanted to learn more about the Passover Holiday and why Matzah is eaten on this holiday.  The program was not only delicious but educational.

April 2017 Events in Chatham, NJ: Believe in Yourself

Each April we begin our Healthy Aging Series with a focus on brain health, and encourage you to Believe in Yourself. We know that believing in yourself has a positive effect on your mental health, but did you know that self-confidence influences your physical health as well? Recent studies show people who exhibit self-confidence are generally healthier and tend to live longer. That's because confidence is a positive emotion and positive emotions have countless health benefits for your mind, body and spirit. In nurturing wellbeing by encouraging an active body, an engaged mind and a fulfilled spirit, Juniper is also building self-confidence. The link between health and confidence also may be related to the ability of positive emotions to boost our brain's power to hold attention, be aware and remember things. We are better able to learn, build new skills and relate with others when we are feeling optimistic. Also confident people are better able to handle chaotic situations in a positive manner. This helps to reduce or avoid excessive stress, high blood pressure, anger, confusion – all the negative side effects of feeling powerless, overwhelmed and out of control.

If you need to kick start your confidence, here are a few things to try: smile; count your blessings; surround yourself with confident people; learn how others have found their confidence and follow their lead; challenge negative or inaccurate thinking and replace with accurate, constructive thoughts; and encourage yourself. You can also plan to join us this month for uplifting discussions and a focus on brain health with offerings such as Daily Brain Builders, Wii games, and a Brain Healthy Luncheon.

Our fabulous April 2017 events in Chatham, NJ at Juniper Village at Chatham include our:

§  Feed Your Mind because you are what you eat, we join Dr. Jacinda Hover as she delves into the world of anti-inflammatory foods, and how what we eat affects so much more than our grumbling tummies, so come and bring a friend to what promises to be an insightful presentation on April 5^th at 4:00 pm.

§  Easter Egg Hunt so come and have some fun with us at this wonderful Juniper Village tradition, so invite the grandchildren and the great-grands for a terrific Easter Egg hunt with special prizes, and refreshments will be served April 15^th at 11:00 am.

§  Purple Picnic benefitting the Alzheimer’s Association, for a suggested $2 donation, we invite you to wear purple and come sip on a Brain Healthy Blueberry Smoothie, so enjoy other picnic refreshments and games while benefitting this important cause on April 27^th from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm.

We look forward to sharing our April 2017 events in Chatham, NJ at Juniper Village at Chatham with you as you Believe in Yourself.

Connect4Life Leads to Better Outcomes for Residents

Integrated Care in Seniors Housing that Meets the Triple Aim from Cindy Longfellow

Data shows Connect4Life’s high-tech/high-touch integrated services lead to higher quality care and better outcomes for residents

Executive Summary: Integrated Care in Seniors Housing that Meets
the Triple Aim

By Anne Tumlinson, MMHS and Lynne Katzmann, PhD

According to the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, more than 190 million Americans, or about 59 percent of the population, are affected by one or more chronic illnesses. Over the next 15 years (between 2016 and 2030,) 80 percent of the United States population will experience one or more chronic conditions, costing more than $42 trillion in medical care spending and losses in employment productivity.

To address these challenges and enhance the resident experience, Juniper Communities, a Bloomfield, NJ-based national owner-operator of seniors housing, developed the Connect4Life model, which provides on-site comprehensive therapy, primary care, pharmacy and lab services, integrated with other services using a “high-tech/high-touch” communications protocol that transfers information through an Electronic Health Record (EHR) and coordinates care through a human navigator.

Juniper Communities retained Anne Tumlinson Innovations (ATI) to compare Connect4Life outcomes and utilization data with data on the broader Medicare population from the 2012 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS). The findings suggest that the Connect4Life model contributes to lower hospital readmissions and the utilization of inpatient services among a high-need resident population. The results affirm the potential of integrating select clinical care and services in a seniors housing environment that provides supportive services to those who have chronic conditions, functional limitations, and complex social needs.

The results suggest an integrated program of services in seniors housing—like Juniper’s Connect4Life —can contribute to reducing the cost of care and services to Medicare beneficiaries residing in seniors housing. More importantly, the data points to the value of the Connect4Life model for managing population health because of its ability to efficiently target integrated care interventions in the high cost, high-need Medicare population.

Juniper Communities has been a thought leader in senior living care, developing nearly a dozen innovative service and delivery programs to enhance aging, lifestyle and resident health. Recognizing opportunities in to meet the triple aim of recent health policy changes in the United States – improved customer satisfaction, evidence-base quality and lower healthcare utilization, Juniper is pioneering Connect 4 Life – one of senior living’s first truly integrated care models of assisted living care and service.

Read more in the FREE White Paper!

Erin Go Bragh from Chatham!

Everyone is a little bit Irish on St. Patrick's Day, and we were no different at Juniper Village!!! Our celebration began with a terrific performance by the students of the Heritage Irish Dance company.  We learned about the origins of Irish dancing, as well as the significance of their beautiful costumes.  We later enjoyed a delicious luncheon with traditional Irish potato soup, soda bread, corned beef and cabbage.  Later in the afternoon we were treated to a performance by Paul and Pals, who sang a variety of songs:  Irish standards as well as requests from the audience.  Residents and staff alike turned the building into a sea of green.  It was a very high-spirited day!