Forget-Me-Nots Inspire Art at Wellspring

Juniper Village Wellspring Memory Care at Brookline recently teamed up with friends from the Alzheimer’s Association in State College to break out the canvases, paint brushes, and vibrant colors! The enthusiastic group of residents, families, staff, and our Partners in Caring from the Alzheimer’s Association gathered with the same goal in mind: to create art for Alzheimer’s! Each artist, ranging from veterans with more than 8 decades of painting experience to newbies who had never painted artistically, was given a canvas with the sketch of a Forget-Me-Not flower and a rainbow of acrylic paint. While everyone started with the same tools, the finished products were as unique as the individuals who created them. The collection of paintings will be combined into a blooming garden of Forget-Me-Nots to be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association for display in their State College office. The Forget-Me-Not is a symbol for the Alzheimer’s Association, representing individuals and families who have been affected by the disease, as well as community supporters who fight for a cure.

For more information on the excellence in dementia care that is available at Juniper Village at Brookline, visit http://www.junipercommunities.com/Wellspring_brookline_home.php

For more information on the Alzheimer’s Association and resources they provide to the community, visit: http://alz.org/pa/

Spring Training is Underway at Wellspring!

Juniper Village at Brookline’s Wellspring location has started a new initiative this spring – Get Fit with TransFitness! Once a week, Steve Snyder from TransFitness provides small group fitness coaching to Wellspring residents. He leads residents in proper stretching and warm techniques, followed by strength training. Colorful resistance bands are used to tone muscles, improve range of motion, and build strength. Free weights are also used in the regimen, as residents work through a variety of exercises. The small group model for training offers the best of both worlds – it provides one-on-one attention to adapt the exercise to each person’s fitness level, while giving participants the opportunity to enjoy the camaraderie of a workout. Get Fit with TransFitness is just one way residents experience the Juniper mission of “nurturing the spirit of life.” When our bodies are stretched and our blood is flowing, we feel better not only physically, but also emotionally. Exercise helps to release stress and increase endorphins, which puts a smile on our face and spring in our step!

May 2017 Events in State College, PA: 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 State College, PA at Juniper Village at Brookline Wellspring Memory Care include our:

§  Cinco de Zumba in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, as we dedicate an afternoon to fun and fitness to celebrate this Mexican holiday with a certified Zumba instructor on sight, there will be upbeat music and movements to get the blood pumping and heart rates rising, so staff, family, friends, and the greater community are invited to join in the dance party, which will conclude with a healthy take on a nacho bar and mock margaritas on May 5^th at 2:00 pm.

§  Dinner & Discussion Fall Prevention because slips, trips, and falls can happen to us all, but most falls can be prevented, so join us for this informative discussion by the therapy team from Rehab Care about fall prevention and safety awareness as we will learn some exercises to strengthen our muscles and improve our balance, as well as modifications we can make for a safer home environment on May 17^th at 5:30 pm. (RSVPs and any dietary restrictions required by May 12^th at 814-235-2005.)

§  Gin in the Evening as partnering with Penn State Hershey, Juniper Village is calling all area healthcare professionals who work in, around, or are interested in geriatric healthcare, because you won’t want to miss this exciting networking event, as we will be hosting a Centre County Geriatric Interest Network (GIN) get-together with wonderful food and drink, and sparkling conversation with donations accepted for the Alzheimer’s Association on May 31^st from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm.

We look forward to sharing our May 2017 events in State College, PA at Juniper Village at Brookline Wellspring Memory Care with you as you Grow Strong Daily.