A Rockin' Thanksgiving at Juniper Village at Chatham

We kicked off the holiday season with a remarkable performance by the Bishop of Jazz, Rio Clemente!  A consummate jazz musician who has performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and NJPAC, Rio held his audience spellbound with the sheer brilliance of his improvisations and his unique fusions of classical pagework with jazz.  Following the performance (which had residents dancing in the aisles), families joined us for our annual pre-Thanksgiving dinner.  Our guests enjoyed a sit-down dinner in the dining room, and adjourned to the bistro for the dessert buffet.

Halloween Spooktacular at Juniper Village at Chatham

You're never to old to celebrate Halloween, and this year brought the child out in all of us!  We began the day with a group of 5th graders from the Harding Township school, fully outfitted in their Halloween regalia, singing songs with gusto.  In the afternoon, we held our Halloween party.  The costumes were terrific this year, and the choice to award prizes for the three best was a hard one.  But the hands-down winner was Hillary and Donald Trump, complete with Trump giving Hershey's kisses to the ladies (without asking).  Pope George and his aide Sister Alma won second place, and third place was a mummy, accompanied by a representative from "A Place for Mummy".  Prizes were also awarded to the resident and their best friend in the annual door decorating contest.  Cider and doughnut holes were shared, and the laughter from residents and staff alike shook the rafters!!!

November 2016 Events in Chatham, NJ: Cherish the Journey

Each November we turn our attention to Family with our Alive In All Seasons Theme: Cherish the Journey. We have always enjoyed helping our residents chronical their individual life journeys through journaling. In addition to keeping track of the daily happenings in our lives, journaling has surprising health benefits as well. University of Texas at Austin psychologist and researcher James Pennebaker contends that regular journaling strengthens immune cells, called T-lymphocytes. He also believes that writing about stressful events helps you come to terms with them, thus reducing the impact of stress on your health. Other research indicates that journaling decreases the symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. Scientific evidence also shows that writing your thoughts down can help clarify your thoughts and feelings, help you to know yourself better, reduce stress, and problem solve more effectively. An additional benefit of journaling is that you are leaving a legacy for future generations. Review your journal together! Reminiscing about the events in one’s life is a way to affirm who they are, what they’ve accomplished in life and relive happy times. So, pick up a pen and Cherish the Journey, the benefits are endless!

Join our journey through November as we honor and celebrate family and the journey of life with our autobiographical journaling. Help us support our greater community with our annual Food Drive and our on-site support groups. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Our fabulous November 2016 events in Chatham, NJ at Juniper Village at Chatham include our:

§  CEU Class as Compassionate Care Presents: Food and Hydration Needs at End of Life as we discuss how a person’s requirements for nutrition and fluids, and their perception of those needs, change as they near the end of life in a seminar which also provides credits to help satisfy continuing education requirements on November 9^th at 2:30 pm.

§  Be a Kid Again with Gregory Quinn, brain management consultant, who returns to Juniper Village with another one of his fun-filled interactive programs, as we experience songs and games from the playground that improve memory along with hand/eye coordination, because we all have that kid inside us just waiting to burst out, so here’s your chance on November 10^th at 2:00 pm.

§  Thanksgiving Day Celebration that is just the beginning of the Holiday Parties as we invite family and friends to join in to share our traditional Thanksgiving day buffet, but don’t forget to bring items for our annual food drive on November 17^th at 4:30 pm.

§  Concord Singers as in our true Holiday fashion, Juniper welcomes the entire community to share with us one of our truly talented and inspirational choirs from the surrounding communities at this program that will delight us all with the season’s best, and refreshments will be served on November 28^th at 7:00 pm.

We look forward to sharing our November 2016 events in Chatham, NJ at Juniper Village at Chatham with you as you Cherish the Journey.

Appraisal Day at Juniper Village at Chatham

This past weekend at Juniper Village was an exciting look into the past as we shared our family treasures with appraisers from the Cool Home Consignment shop.  The four appraisers, who had combined experience of a hundred years or more, spent the morning looking over items ranging from ivory carvings and  jewelry to paintings.  It was so interesting to hear how our residents and members from the community came to own these treasures, and despite learning their value, no one was willing to part with them.  The sentimental value was priceless.

Juniper Village at Chatham's First Glee Club Performance

Columbus Day was very special here at Juniper Village at Chatham as we witnessed the inaugural performance of our new Glee Club. Our Glee Club decided to take advantage of the fact that a presentation on Christopher Columbus was scheduled, by making their debut prior to it. Dressed patriotically in Red, White and Blue, they were on pins and needles until their accompanist, a resident's daughter, arrived, but despite their nervousness, they rallied and sang enthusiastically. Their program was short but heavy on National pride as they sang You're a Grand Old Flag, America the Beautiful, and the Star Spangled Banner. The club harmonized, and the audience even joined in for a few verses. A wonderful time was had by all.

October 2016 Events in Chatham, NJ: Show Your Colors

As we say good bye to Indian summer, we welcome the cooler air and slower pace of the autumn season. From warm apple cider, everything pumpkin and end of season hiking trips, there are so many reasons to enjoy autumn. William Cullen Bryant says it best, “Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile.” With the seasonal changes now in full swing we see fall flowers appearing where summer blooms once stood and leaves changing into vibrant shades of yellow, orange and red. The evening air has a slight chill and carries the scent of campfires, leaves and cinnamon spice. Our activities turn from swimming and baseball to raking leaves and football. Not only is Mother Nature showing her colors, but we begin to show our team colors with a focus on sports! Join us throughout the month as we bond over sporting events while cheering on our favorite teams, complete with tailgate parties and snacks.

Throughout October we will show our colors as we sponsor and support local sports teams. We will honor our associates who show their colors by “nurturing the spirit of life” with The Juniper Spirit awards. Alas, October would not be complete without celebrating the season with our annual Halloween Costume Party, which is open to ghosts and goblins of all ages. Join us this month and Show Your Colors!

Our fabulous October 2016 events in Chatham, NJ at Juniper Village at Chatham include our:

§  Columbus Day Celebration as in keeping with tradition, Paul White brings another great program about geography and the history of the New World by tracking this explorer's travels on October 10^th at 2:00 pm.

§  Oktoberfest to “Show your Colors” at our October festival with Eric Kersser performing in his colorful, authentic dress and showing off his fun accordion performance, as we invite you to try some of our traditional tasty foods and beers from around the world on October 21^st at 3:30 pm.

§  Discover the Value of Your Treasures if you have ever wondered what your cherished family treasures are worth now is your chance to find out, so don’t miss out on this opportunity for a FREE appraisal of your valued antique items on October 22^nd from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

§  Halloween Costume Party as we celebrate Halloween with refreshments, prizes for Best Costume and Best Door decorations, and many exciting and scary events will happen, so don’t miss out on October 31^st at 3:00 pm.

We look forward to sharing our October 2016 events in Chatham, NJ at Juniper Village at Chatham with you as you Show Your Colors.

National Assisted Living Week

Several weeks ago, we celebrated National Assisted Living Week, and we celebrated with special activities each day.  The residents and staff were given pens, snacks and candy every day.  The staff was treated to pizza as well as wraps, which were provided by Patient Care.  And to everyone's delight, Compassionate Care Hospice of Morris County provided us with an ice cream truck stocked with every frozen dessert imaginable.  Each resident also received a rose to thank them for their support.  It was a very special week!