Celebrate the Little Things!

December's theme was all about Traditions and "Celebrating the Little Things" Juniper Village at Aurora did exactly that as we had a Great December Month! We celebrated with friends and Family members while taking Santa pictures earlier on in the month. Our families enjoyed Santa Photo day with their loved ones here at Juniper. Many of our associates enjoyed getting their photo taken with Santa and their Best Friend. Later on in the month, we had our annual Winter Wonderland Gathering, which brought in new and old friends and family members to share in the joys of the holiday season. We had an array of delicious foods and lovely music done by an  A Capella caroling group. Our Connections Department brought residents to this years Overland High School Holiday Concert, along with other trips to see holiday lights. One Saturday, Family members joined their loved ones in our wonderful Hanukkah Holiday Service, with many visitors, music, and fun traditions. And to end the month, we had the local preschool kids come in to sing for our residents. The Children and residents were able to bond afterwards with a nice Cookie treat.  December was a Terrific time of Celebration and that's exactly what we did!

Another Great Thanksgiving

Juniper Village at Aurora welcomed many Friends and Family members to our Annual Thanksgiving Family Feast on November 19th.  The November  theme is: Family; "Cherish The Journey."   Here at Aurora, this is one of our biggest events of the year. It is a time where everyone is eager to jump in and help out.  The response from Families are always something to look forward to.

     That day was filled with Great Food, Beautiful piano music, and a Wonderful time to bond with friends!  An out-pour of families came in with Desserts to share, and filled the seats in Town Hall and all the Houses.  Everyone enjoyed digging into the turkey, stuffing, and an array of other side dishes. As everyone enjoyed their food, and background music, many stopped to pose for a family picture, grinning from ear to ear. After the Juniper Staff members helped serve, they got to sit down and share stories and memories with some of our wonderful families.  Many laughs were shared, and many bellies were
full. This year many of our guests went home with goodie bags.  Here's to Another Great Event!

    

2011 Bowl-A-Thon Event!

One of Juniper's Signature programs is our Connections Program, which involves staying connected to family, friends, and our community;

which are essential to healthy aging.  Juniper Village at Aurora offers an inter-generational program that involves bringing both elders and youth together in various events.  This month we had the opportunity
to join in the annual Bowl-A-Thon for our 4th year in a row with Bessie's Hope.  We took 6 residents with us to the Monaco Lanes in Denver, where we had a blast! When we arrived, we got to enjoy a pizza and salad lunch, then after all our shoes were on, we started bowling. Residents were assisted by either a Juniper staff member or a youth from Bessie's Hope, while others were able to bowl on their own. Resident after resident got up to bowl their 10 frames. Many laughs were had by all.  What A Great Day!

George & Pat Sugarman Award

 What an Honor it is to be nominated for the "George & Pat Sugarman Award."  Here at Juniper Village at Aurora, we had 3 nominees this year from our community, out of the 15 nominated in the Colorado area. Daniel Barron, Consuelo Lopez, and Alba Porras-Chavez were all recognized for their wonderful ability to care for those who struggle with Alzheimer's Disease. The award first came about in 1991, when George Sugarman, an Alzheimer's Association board member, wanted to show appreciation to the caregivers who cared for his wife, Pat.  He was so grateful for the care that his wife had received, he decided that all Outstanding caregivers should be recognized.

Juniper Village at Aurora is an Assisted living Community that specializes in caring for those individuals with Alzheimer's Disease and other related dementia. We here at Juniper practice going "Above and Beyond" when it comes to the level of care. We are very proud to announce, that Alba Porras-Chavez won the award this year, after being nominated for 10 straight years in a row.  Congratulations Alba & Keep up the Great Work!

A Beautiful day, A Beautiful Experience!

Juniper Village at Aurora participated in the 2011 "Walk to End Alzheiumer's" on Saturday, September 17th, held at Denver City Park. It was a perfect day to walk for a great cause. The walk is a fundraiser for research and education for  Alzheimer's Disease. As weknow. much research is happening everyday. The Alzheimer's Association is an excellent resource for people afflicted with the disease, their families, and our staff. For more information and.or statistics, please visit the website at: www.alz.org.

Juniper residents, staff, and families came together for a jointed team effort. Prior to the start of the walk, we had the opportunity to explore the many booths and exhibits there, or even get a snack at the food area. Once the announcer told us to gather at the starting line, the Juniper team, decked out in our Juniper Giraffe shirts, met up with the 8,000 others who came out that day to show their support.  Many were from other communities/facilities that specialized in memory care, as we do, and others who have in some way been touched by a family member/friend with Alzheimer's Disease.  At the walk, we were all moved to see how many people came out for this event, it almost doubled in size from the previous years. This year those who registered received a flower to represent in what way they have been affected by Alzheimer's Disease-What a Flower Garden it was! We walked around the park, and when we reached the end of our journey, we were elated with joy that we also reached our goal. What a great day it was for a "walk in the park."

Spread Your Joy!

Spread Your Joy is the Theme for September, and here at Juniper Village of Aurora, We certainly did that when we celebrated with our Best Friends Week. A Best Friend is someone you find comfort in,someone you can tell your deepest secrets with, and someone that you can just have a Great Big old Laugh with. That's what we did this past week at Juniper! One of Juniper's signature programs, "Partner's in Caring" has a component called the Best Friends Program, where each associate is matched up with a resident, who they will spend a little more extra time with during the week. The connections department offers many programs that allow the Best Friends to meet up and have fun together. September, being that it focuses on friendship, we had the chance to do just that! We started off the week on Sunday baking cookies with our Friend, the next day we celebrated with our Ice Cream Social, where everyone got to pick out from 3 flavors and any topping of choice. What a Delicious Treat that was! Oh the laughs we had on Tuesday, when we had a blast dressing up with our Best friends in an array of different masks and costumes to take a Funny Best Friends Picture; some of which are now displayed in our Juniper display case. Along comes Wednesday, and we celebrated with a Best Friends CARNIVAL Day, where we had balloon hats & animals, cotton candy & cupcakes, Pie Throwing Contest, and plenty of fun carnival games, such as Plinko, SkeeBall, and target toss. On Thursday evening, at 6pm, we had our very first 1920's Flapper Party, which was a huge success! The residents and staff danced together with their friends, displaying such dance moves as the box step, and the Charlston, along with quite a few fancy turns. There were plenty of dance partners, to go around and plenty of Fun! Those who chose to sit and watch also enjoyed deviled eggs, apple pie, and other hors d'oeuvres offered that evening. Last Off, we ended our Amazing week with a Best Friends Pizza Party. We all came hungry, and got to sit and bond with our best friend over the weeks events while enjoying a Nice slice of of pizza pie. Both Staff and Residents had an amazing week spending time with their best friend, and we look forward to many more upcoming events together! Remember to have fun & Spread Your Joy with Others! 

   

Happy Anniversary Juniper Aurora!

Aurora turns 12 this year, and what better way to celebrate, than to spend it with Friends and Family!! On August 16, we had a luau with a

pig roast, Hawaiian ukulele music, and Tons of fun! Juniper Communities not only reaches out to our current resident families, but also welcomes old friends as well. We were more than happy to see some old faces, along with many new ones! Our families had a blast as they enjoyed the delicious pig roast, and Hawaiian side dishes, along with wonderful music to dance to. While the Hula was demonstrated by our Connections director, Nancy, others also took part in the dance
festivities. Although the weather wasn't quite up to par, a Great time was had by all, and we look forward to another Great Year!