A Meal that Matters

Juniper Village at Brookline has been recognized as a platinum sponsor to the State College Meals on Wheels program for over fifteen years. Meals on Wheels is a national organization that has thrived in the State College area serving more than 1 million meals to community members in State College since its start in 1971. This home delivered meal service provides nutritious meals to high risk individuals including older adults and convalescent individuals in our community who otherwise would not be able to prepare their own meals. Nearly 150 volunteers and three paid staff provide nearly 100 meals a day, five days a week to ensure those in need receive these meals.
Juniper Village at Brookline took another opportunity to support Meals on Wheels by donating enough fresh fruit for several days of meal delivery.  Fresh fruit is sometimes a missing item of meals due to the short shelf life and the increased cost of produce, however it is "always appreciated" says Christine Tyler, the executive director of the State College Meals on Wheels program.  Juniper Village at Brookline is lucky to be a part of a larger community that serves those in need.

For more information on how Juniper Village at Brookline supports the State College and Centre County community, please visit www.junipercommunities.com or check out our Facebook page at Juniper Village at Brookline. For more information on State College Meals on Wheels, please visit their website at www.scmow.2stayconnected.com.

Innovative Technology Makes for a Purrrfect Friend

Juniper Village Wellspring Memory Care at Brookline welcomes a purrrrfect new friend: Ladybell the cat! But Ladybell isn’t your average furry feline; she’s a high-tech therapy pet that is charming everyone she meets. Designed specifically for people who are living with dementia, therapy pets like Ladybell can provide all the soothing and playful benefits that a real cat offers, in a safe and allergy-free manner. Just like any other cat, Ladybell purrs when her head is gently stroked, and rolls on her back for belly scratches. She even blinks her eyes and falls asleep when she curls up in someone’s lap! Ladybell also serves as inspiration for Juniper’s “Don’t Sit, Get Fit” walking program, as residents enjoy taking her for walks outside. Therapy pets like Ladybell are one way Wellspring creates a high-tech, high-touch environment to deliver state-of-the art memory care. By incorporating new technologies, Wellspring is able to discover new ways to nurture the spirit of life.

Juniper Village at Brookline Hosts Dinner and Discussion on Fall Prevention

Slips, trips, and falls – they can happen to us all. Recently, Juniper Village at Brookline held a “Dinner and Discussion” about fall prevention and safety awareness, featuring our Partners in Caring from RehabCare. Presenting were Corey Sheehan, director of physical therapy, and Jessica Paul, physical therapist. Corey and Jessica addressed the fear of falling that many people have, and how it can negatively impact one’s quality of life. They then provided useful tips for preventing falls, such as simple home modifications, improved footwear, and regular exercise. RehabCare provides excellence in therapy services at Juniper Village at Brookline’s Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing building, helping individuals to regain independence and improve quality of life.

As always, chef Kris Kishbaugh and his culinary team prepared a healthy and delicious meal for guests, that included roasted chicken with an orange ginger marmalade over sautéed spinach, a carrot, fennel and yam puree, and cheesecake with fresh seasonal berries.

Juniper Village at Brookline’s “Dinner and Discussions” are free to the public! To be sure you don’t miss our next event, like and follow Juniper Village at Brookline on facebook and subscribe to our blog!

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

§  Dinner & Discussion Live in Wellness Dietary Needs for Seniors to join our registered dietician, Katherine Haar, for this informative and delicious take on what we need to keep our bodies operating well at any age while we enjoy a delectable dinner featuring a grilled corn and pepper salad, flank steak, and oven roasted potatoes on June 21^st at 5:30 pm. (RSVP to 814-235-2041 and include any dietary restrictions.)

§  Family Picnic to come one, come all to this annual event that residents, family members, and invited guests look forward to all year long, as we enjoy classic cookout foods and drinks under the big tent, along with live entertainment for all ages, so be sure to watch for your invitation in the mail to this party on June 25^th from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm.

§  Taste of Our Town to enjoy local cuisine to send your taste buds into a tizzy with a wide variety of foods that paint a delicious picture of the decadency that Pennsylvania/Centre Country has to offer, from Fasta Pasta smothered in Mario’s sauces, to Tait Farm chutney’s, jams and shrubs, and all the Berkey Creamery ice cream doused in Hershey’s chocolate sauce, so be sure to come hungry on June 27^th at 3:15 pm.

We look forward to sharing our June 2017 events in State College, PA at Juniper Village at Brookline Wellspring Memory Care with you as you Live In Wellness.

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.