Virtual Dementia Tour

This week Juniper Village at Brookline held its Virtual Dementia Tour and Create Your Playlist event as part of the Alive Inside/MUSIC & MEMORY movement. The Second Wind Dreams “Virtual Dementia Tour” (VDT) is a sensory experience that simulates a variety of dementia symptoms, providing participants with a unique opportunity to comprehend and empathize with what it must be like to experience this brain disease. By building a more accurate perception of one’s behaviors, the VDT enables a better understanding of the needs of those with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. A wide range of participants took part in the VDT, each expressing how powerful the exercise was. “I always thought that I was patient and spoke slowly and clearly with our residents,” said one caregiver, adding “Now I’ll slow myself down even more. I will be more patient and aware of their needs.” Many area professionals were so enthusiastic about the activity, that they requested it as training for their own staff and colleagues.

MUSIC & MEMORY tells us that personalized music helps those with dementia—and a wide range of cognitive and physical challenges—“find renewed meaning and connection in their lives through the gift of personalized music.” That’s why, before their tours began, the 18 participants in attendance had individualized consultations and started their very own personalized iPod music playlists for their loved ones. You can learn more about MUSIC & MEMORY and how you can get involved at http://www.junipercommunities.com/MusicMemory/.

Alive Inside Screening Juniper Village at Brookline Was Truly Touching!

We received some fantastic feedback from our residents, family members, and people from the greater community at large during our recent Alive Inside screening. Here is a sampling:

Ken Pendleton - Director of Recruitment & Client Quality, Home Instead Senior Care State College (pictured at right here with Liz Plozner-Chalfa our Wellspring Executive Director)

“I was completely moved by this experience. As someone in the field, I was aware that music had an impact on those with dementia, but I had no idea of the significance. These people were experiencing an awakening! Just amazing!”

Rod and Kathy Bartell, State College, PA (pictured at left here)

Rod and Kathy, a married couple, each have a mother living with us at Brookline (one in Senior Living, one at Wellspring).

Kathy (mom at WS): “I regret not having done something like this sooner [with my mom]. This movie has inspired me, and I want to have her be successful in this [Music & Memories] program.”

Rod (mom at SL): “I didn’t know, I didn’t know. My dad had a serious illness and couldn’t communicate at all for three to five years. Years ago, someone played a piece of gospel music and he sang all of the words! I didn’t know what it was. Now I do.”

Tell Me a Story

Residents and kids alike were full of smiles at a recent story time visit at Juniper Village Wellspring Memory Care at Brookline. Students ages 8 to 12 from the Young Scholars of Central PA charter school in State College have made Fridays at Wellspring a new tradition. During visits, students are able to practice their reading and comprehension skills while connecting with new friends.

Implementing intergenerational programs in communities with those with dementia is showing promising results. According to a team of researchers in Pittsburgh, residents' overall agitation levels are much lower on days when they participated in activities with small children. Residents also tend to be more verbal and attentive after visits. As you can see, there is no shortage of joy at Wellspring when little guests are around! 

Where Words Fail, Music Speaks

We are very excited about our programs this month that revolve around the many facets of music.  This year we will be introducing the Music and Memory Program into our Wellspring community here at Brookline.  We have two events scheduled in the upcoming months and invite you to join us!

January 22^nd at 6:30 PM: ALIVE INSIDE SCREENING An inspirational and emotional story left the audience humming, clapping and cheering at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. The film dramatically portrays the power of music and memory. Refreshments will be served following the screening along with discussion on how music impacts each of us daily, especially those who live with dementia. See the trailer.

  

January 28^th at 2:00 PM and 5:30 PM: VIRTUAL DEMENTIA TOUR AND CREATE YOUR PLAYLIST EVENT The Virtual Dementia Tour is an interactive, experiential journey into the realities of dementia. It allows you to “walk in the shoes” of your loved one, enabling you to better understand their needs and behaviors. End this journey by starting your own personalized music playlist!

If you are unable to make any of our upcoming events, or have questions about Music and Memory, please contact our Connections Director at 814-234-3141.

Welcome New Beginnings: January Events

Welcome to 2015! What a wonderful time for us to reflect on the past year and forge ahead with new beginnings. January is a time for change when we make and sometimes break our New Year’s resolutions and focus on what we want to make better in the coming year.

January is also the month that Juniper Village begins our Winter Alive In All Seasons theme of Creative Expressions: “Explore Your Creativity” where in January we will focus on music! Research shows that music can help us physically by easing pain, helping us sleep better, eat less and enhance our blood vessel function. It is also suggested that music can help us mentally by reducing stress, relieving symptoms of depression, elevating mood, decreasing anxiety and improving cognitive performance. Hospitals are using music to help cancer patients manage stress and anxiety and to ease recovery in stroke patients.

Our fabulous activity offerings this month include our Harp Therapy as part of New Year, New You Day of Wellness with  the heavenly sounds of Certified Harp Therapist Ellen Slingerland who showcases how her music can have a soothing and comforting effect on listeners in the Second Floor Dining Room at Brookline Rehabilitation and Skilled Care (1950 Cliffside Drive) on January 5^th from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm; our ReMarkable Music with Grace Between Us to dazzle and inspire you with traditional hymns that are sure to impress in the Gathering Room at Wellspring (610 Whitehall Drive) on January 12^th from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm; our Winter Warm-Up Happy Hour with JT Thompson  for an evening of drinks and hot tunes by this Bellefonte native who is  a regular on the State College music scene in the Pines Piano Lounge at Brookline Senior Living (1940 Cliffside Drive) on January 14^th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm; our Alive Inside Screening of the inspirational and emotional film dramatically portraying the power of music and memory that left the audience humming and cheering at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Audience Award in the Willows Dining Room (1900 Cliffside Drive) on January 22^nd from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm; or our Virtual Dementia Tour and Create Your Playlist Event an interactive, experiential journey into the realities of dementia that allows you to “walk in the shoes” of your loved one, enabling you to better understand their needs and behaviors, at the end of which you can create your own personalized music playlist and participate in an iPod and MP3 player donation drive for musical tools to utilize throughout the community in the First Floor Lobby at Brookline Rehabilitation and Skilled Care (1950 Cliffside Drive) on January 28^th from 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm!

Look through our calendar and join us this month as we explore our creativity through music with outings to local musical performances, Elvis’ birthday celebrations and concerts by our Joyful Noise Choirs. We invite you to Welcome New Beginnings at Juniper Village and make a habit of joining us for activities and events throughout the year!