"You're Never Too Old to Cook" Recipes from the Juniper Villagers at Chatham

No need to fret over what to give to someone for the holidays.  Our "You're Never Too Old to Cook" cookbook is the perfect gift!  The connections department asked residents, staff and family members to contribute their favorite recipes, and what a great response we have gotten.  Both old fashioned generational recipes as well more modern, healthy alternatives were represented.  It has been so successful that we are already into our second printing.  To make this project even better, we asked for a $5.00 donation, and all proceeds will benefit St. Huberts Animal Shelter--happy holidays for all!!!

A Great Holiday Party at Juniper Village at Chatham!

Our holiday party was a sparkling event that was thoroughly enjoyed by our residents, families and staff.  As usual, the food was extraordinary, complete with hot appetizers and pounds of fresh shrimp, prime rib and delicious chicken.  The bistro was transformed into a dessert wonderland!  The joy of the season was shared by all, and the Victorian carolers entertained us with wonderful harmonies and classic songs.  This really is one of our highlights for the year!!

December 2016 Events in Chatham, NJ: Cherish the Journey

Juniper Village nurtures wellbeing by encouraging an active body, an engaged mind and a fulfilled spirit. This month this custom is more evident than ever as we share our celebratory spirit - mind, body and soul. December is a month filled with holidays and celebrations, but at Juniper we like to kick it up a notch! All around the community all of your senses will be stimulated as you see traditional holiday décor, hear joyous laughter and singing, smell heavenly treats baking and taste them as well. We will celebrate all the joyous little things that make this time of year so special. Traditions both old and new will be honored. And through sharing our numerous cultures and traditions with each other we will learn more about each other, opening the door to deeper understanding.

This month take a moment to reflect on the little things that bring joy to your life. Reminisce about the traditions from your past and the new traditions you have started with your family. Celebrate the holiday season with us as we share a bit of ourselves with our annual cookie exchange and ethnic holiday celebrations. December is always an eventful month and we look forward to sharing it with you.

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

§  Silent Night Not Tonight because baby, it’s cold outside, so warm up with us at our annual Holiday Party, as you’re invited to partake in a night of fun, friends, and food at Juniper Village’s holiday extravaganza on December 9^th at 5:00 pm.

§  Festival of Lights as we say Shalom, and bring you a brief overview of Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, and one of the happiest and most colorful of Jewish festivals, so join us as Stuart Liss, our expert on Judaism, presents this topic on December 14^th 2:00 pm.

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

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.