Welcome New Beginnings: January Events

It is hard to believe how time has flown and we now, once again, welcome in a new year—2014! This January, as part of our Alive in All Seasons program we will be celebrating the magic of music. Music has long been recognized as a healing tool in the writings of Pythagoras, Aristotle and Plato. A quote by Plato helps us understand the enormity and power of music; “music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything”.

Music is indeed part of our souls, our imaginations, our lives. It is no wonder that people love music; it inspires us, sparks our minds, taps into our creativity, heals our souls, motivates us to dance, to laugh, to cry. This January we will celebrate music in all its glory!

We will be hosting several open events at our community this month. Please join us for our New Year’s Day Meet and Mingle Luncheon at noon on January 1^st, our Basics of Alzheimer’s Disease workshop with the Alzheimer’s Association at 6:00 pm on January 9^th, our Sing-A-Long with Bessie’s Hope Intergenerational Group at 2:00 pm on January 15^th, and our Gitty Up Cowboy Dinner at 5:00 pm on January 23^rd. We encourage you to review our calendar for other offerings and attend any or all of the activities that are of interest to you.

It’s going to be another great month here at Juniper Village at Aurora. Let us join together in music and “Welcome New Beginnings”. 

Winter Wonderland

With the holiday season upon us, we often take the time to honor and
Celebrate the Little Things that mean so much to so many people. We
make time to visit with those that we are close to, honor the
traditions that are dear to us, create or start new traditions to
honor the beliefs that mean so much to us. At Juniper Village at
Aurora, we make every effort to provide those opportunities for our
residents, families, friends, associates, and the surrounding
community...and with our Winter Wonderland, we were able to do just
that. With the Original Dickens Carolers, singing our most treasured
holiday songs, in their terrific costumes, and their interactive and
engaging skits, we were able to feel the holiday spirit upon us. No
matter what a person's beliefs are around the holiday season, you
could sense the care and love for each person in the building. The
tasty homemade treats (chocolate fudge, oreo truffles, peanut brittle,
brownies, cookies...oh, the little things!!) were enough to make a
person smile. The thing that was most evident was everyone simply
being in the moment and cherishing the relationships we have with each
other.

Celebrate Little Things: December Events

"The more you praise and celebrate your life,

the more there is in life to celebrate" ~Oprah Winfrey

 

This December, as part of our Alive In All Seasons program

we will be focusing on traditions. Traditions play such an

important role within our lives by providing a shared identity

and sense of belonging, comfort and joy. Traditions allow us

to tap into our deep and rich cultural, family and religious

heritage. Our Alive In All Seasons tagline this month of

"Celebrate Little Things" reminds us that these traditions,

many of which are small, little things, can serve as the glue

that binds us together and makes our lives great.

 

Celebrations will be abundant this holiday season here at

Juniper Village as we share memories from our residents,

families and our associates about traditions, beliefs and

customs that have shaped our lives. We will learn about how

other cultures celebrate winter holidays, complete with the

singing of carols and the sampling of some delicious ethnic

treats. We will gain respect and insight into each other as

we reflect upon our unique and cherished traditions, and;

maybe create some new ones along the way!

 

You are cordially invited to join us in celebration for Songs

of Faith, Pictures with Santa, Making Gingerbread Houses,

Creating Christmas Penguins, Building a Snowman, Baking

Norwegian Christmas Cookies, a Saint Lucia Breakfast,

Aromatherapy Creations: Warm Apple Cinnamon Sachets,

Gift Wrapping with Friends, Out Trips: Local Neighborhood

Holiday Lights, Sharing Holiday Stories, and a Kick-off to

Winter Craft: Snowflake Creations.

 

So, this holiday season please stop

by and celebrate with us as we

"Celebrate Little Things"

Cherish the Journey and Keep the Spirit of Family: November Events

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and, it is indeed a perfect time to celebrate with loved ones; so it is not surprising that our Alive in All Seasons focus for the month of November is families: Cherish the Journey! Matsuo Basho wrote "every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home". These beautiful words remind us of the importance of cherishing this journey of life through celebrations that bind us together; family and friends, nurturing our spirits and fulfilling us in deep and meaningful ways.

This month as we celebrate our Alive in All Seasons theme of family: "Cherish the Journey", we will be hosting many wonderful activities and events with our focus on family! We will be working with residents, families, associates and friends to create family trees and start autobiographical journals. We will enjoy rich and meaningful activities utilizing the traditions, customs and skills of many of our family members, friends and all the significant people that have impacted our lives. We will reminisce about favorite family recipes, learn about families in different cultures, and join together in giving thanks. These activities will foster the development of deep connections with one another, thus, allowing us to cherish and celebrate each others' lives. We will enjoy the opportunity to create and relish more memories of delightful moments along this beautiful journey of life together!

We invite you to join us as we celebrate the beautiful gift of family, sharing some of your time treasured stories, traditions, customs and wisdom gathered with your loved ones on your journey together! We are filled with gratitude as we give thanks for yet another year bringing joy to the lives of all those on our path! We wish all of our families and friends a beautiful Thanksgiving holiday overflowing with rich abundance! All this month we will also be hosting several highlighted family and community events that include: our Annual Food Drive benefiting needy seniors through the Colorado Gerontological Society's Holiday Basket Program all month, and our National Memory Screening Day interactive educational luncheon that features complimentary memory screenings and a virtual dementia tour on November 19 from 10 am until 4 pm. We encourage you to review our calendar and join us for any or all of our events as we celebrate families and Cherish the Journey!

Excellence in Caregiving Award: And The Winner Is...

And the Winner Is...

Consuelo Lopez was this year’s recipient of the George and Pat Sugarman Excellence in Caregiving Award. This award is presented yearly by the Alzheimer's Association to a nominated professional caregiver. Nominations are submitted solely by families of residents that caregivers provide care for. Consuelo has been nominated EVERY year the past seven years. This year she had several nomination letters that really caught the attention of the nomination committee. Consuelo received a cash award as well as a plaque to honor her. Our hats off to Consuelo...she's a most deserving person to have received the award!!

Juniper Village at Aurora had a total of 10 caregivers that were nominated this year, and has had caregivers nominated every year for the past decade. What is even more indicative of Juniper Village at Aurora’s quality of care is that two of their caregivers have won in the past three years (2011 and 2013). Each nominee received paid entrance to the Alzheimer's Symposium. The Symposium is a day full of education for caregivers, families, those living with Alzheimer's and related Dementias, and professionals. Among the many wonderful educational breakout sessions, the amazing key note speakers were Dr. Huntington Potter (Professor of Neurology and Director of Alzheimer's Disease Programs in the Department of Neurology and the Linda Crnic Center for Down Syndrome at the University of Colorado) and Maestro David Dworkin (avid chamber musician, conductor of orchestras across America and abroad, founder of acclaimed exercise program Conductorcise).

Congratulations Juniper Village at Aurora for a Perfect State Survey!!!!

At Juniper Village at Aurora, we strive daily to Nurture the Spirit in each individual that we touch. We do this by encouraging active bodies, engaged minds and fulfilled spirits. It's what we do...and our state surveyors recognized that we are doing this well. We have an amazing team that puts forth the efforts necessary to perfect the outcomes that we aim for. 

 

 

 

Walk to End Alzheimer's!

On September 21st, we joined thousands of others who support the Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's at City Park in Denver. It was a beautiful day, with the sun shining and a cool breeze. The enthusiasm for such a great cause was felt among the crowd.

 

 

 

 

The Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's is the nation's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer's care, support and research. Held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide, this inspiring event calls on participants of all ages and abilities to reclaim the future for millions. Together, we can end Alzheimer's disease, the nation's sixth-leading cause of death.

 

 

 

 

We put much effort into our fundraising efforts for this very day. Many of our families, vendors, friends, and associates participate in such events like our Balloon Bouquets in February, Weekly Wednesday BBQs during the Summer, Hot Dog Sales, and Car Wash. We spread the efforts throughout the year, to give all an opportunity to participate. This year we raised over $2,000...Go Team Juniper Village at Aurora!!

Staying Connected in Aurora

Juniper Village at Aurora Stays Connected with the Alzheimer's Association, Rocky Mountain

Chapter, Croquet on the Lawn

Earlier this Summer the Association held an all day event, on June 21st (The Longest Day), a game of Croquet, from 5:30am to 8:30pm. The game is played on the croquet lawn at Washington Park in Denver.
Vickie and Nancy were able to take 3 of our residents to play, which all had a wonderful time. Leon and Wayne were on a team with the two ladies pictured with them. Wayne's team won. Wayne was totally in his element talking with the ladies about his military service. Leon really enjoyed clowning around with the croquet mallet and seemed to really have a wonderful time as well. Gertrude said she had a good time. Both Leon and Wayne admitted that they hadn't played croquet since they were kids so, it was really exciting watching them enjoy it so much!

Today, September 9th, Juniper (Jennifer and Amanda) was able to return to the croquet lawn to host an ice cream social for the Early Stage Group (individual diagnosed with Alzheimer's and their Care Partner).
We had 3 types of ice cream and all the fixins. It was the perfect day for it, the weather was glorious with a nice little breeze. The Alzheimer's Association also celebrated 5 years of partnering with Jiminy Wicket. The gauge to determine how successful a game has been is calculated by SPH (Smiles Per Hour)!! Everyone was totally engaged and connected to the event itself. It's amazing to watch all the cares of the world be lifted on a favorite past time of so many...and for some a new learning experience. This is one of the many reasons we enjoy our Partnership with the Alzheimer's Association, they strive for many of the same ideals that we do here at Juniper.

So, the event was Friday, June 21, Nancy, Vickie, Gertrude, Wayne and Leon attended. The event was part of the Longest Day Event for the Alzheimer's Association. It was sponsored by Jiminy Wicket, Colorado Senior Care Advisers and the Denver Croquet Club. The croquet games ran from 5:30 AM - 8:30 PM and were played at the Denver Croquet Club croquet lawn at Washington Park in Denver. We all had a wonderful time, Leon and Wayne were on a team with the two ladies pictured with them. Wayne's team won. Wayne was totally in his element talking with the ladies about his military service. Leon really enjoyed clowning around with the croquet mallet and seemed to really have a wonderful time as well. Gertrude was a little hot so I'm not sure she enjoyed it as much as everyone else but she said she had a good time. Both Leon and Wayne admitted that they hadn't played croquet since they were kids so, it was really exciting watching them enjoy it so much!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Indonesian Cooking Class

In celebration of our Alive in All Seasons Theme for June: Food, Live In Wellness, our Connections team put together a cooking class hosted by one of our lovely caregivers, Masnur. Masnur is from Indonesia and is a great cook, which made her an excellent candidate for this amazing cooking class. Residents enjoyed the wonderful smells and experience that was provided. The opportunity to utilize skills once used regularly, such as cooking and using chop sticks, was appreciated by those that were able to attend!

 

 

 

 

Juniper Communities celebrates 25 years of Nurturing the Spirit of Life with Juniper Village at Aurora

If you know Juniper, you know we love to celebrate every opportunity we can; we were so very excited to host this celebration in honor of our parent company, Juniper Communities. We enjoyed the wonderful company of our family, our friends, and those that were able to come into Juniper for the first time, it was a great turnout! Being able to showcase our Signature Programs with the display boards, enabled everyone to see what really does set Juniper apart from the crowd. Our Partners in Caring program is one that was alive and well at this event, being able connect with our neighboring vendors, communities, families, friends...IS Partners In Caring. If you'd like to learn more about our Signature Programs, come on in and we'll tell you all about it.

Every aspect of our celebration was absolutely perfect. From the beautiful food that was prepared by our Chef, to the smiles that were beaming throughout the community...which almost was as bright as the sun that was shining. But have no worries, we had our shades on, more than anything to signify that We See Life's Possibilities! To make the world a better place, a place where each of us can live life fully throughout all seasons of life. At Juniper, we are passionate about our vision!

The laughter that filled the air was almost in harmony with the violinist as she played wonderful music. The conversation with each person was most enjoyable and pleasant.

25 years is a generation...you can believe that we are embracing the next generation as we speak.