February 2017 Events in Aurora, CO: Awaken Your Passion

This month, our focus on creative expression continues with a focus on art. Art, as with beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. It is understandable that some have great artistic ability and others do not. But, at Juniper we know that everyone has a passion for creative expression, regardless of ability or age. Pablo Picasso once said, “All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” He is speaking about becoming inhibited as adults. With our various art programs we encourage uninhibited creativity as a form of therapy. Creating art affords the opportunity of self-exploration and self-expression leading to both physical and mental benefits. Creating art in any of its various forms, is also about sharing a bit of ourselves with each other. Art is one way to express ourselves, and the creations are honest and true representations of our experiences. In sharing our stories through art with others we invite communication and create lasting bonds.

Art typically encompasses painting, sculpting, and drawing. But, the act of creating art can be as simple as doodling. Art is simply the creation of something outside one’s self that often mirrors what is going on within their mind, soul, and body. We use creative arts as a way to nurture the spirit of life. Join us throughout February as we focus on great varieties of art such as photography, needlework, handicrafts, painting, sculpture and more. Please join us as we share a bit of ourselves with our weekly craft classes, experience art on an outing to an art museum, and embrace our celebratory spirit with Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day parties. We look forward to helping you Awaken Your Passion this month!

Our fabulous February 2017 events in Aurora, CO at Juniper Village at Aurora include our:

§  Balloon Bouquets our annual, much anticipated fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Association; order your balloon bouquets anytime in advance and bring a smile to your special sweetheart’s face on Valentine’s Day.

§  Artfully Yours Art Show beautiful Juniper is very proud of our local resident artists; we will be celebrating them with a Wine and Tapas Art Show, so join us and enter to win 2 tickets to Shen Yun, Sunday March 5, 2017 at the Buell Theater on February 22^nd at 5:30 pm.

We look forward to sharing our February 2017 events in Aurora, CO at Juniper Village at Aurora with you as you Awaken Your Passion.

Tristan Appreciation

The following is a letter from Tristan who was one of 5 students with Crossroads Public School in Aurora who volunteered every Thursday by taking out the trash, vacuuming and speaking with our residents on a 1:1 basis. He seemed to have that special touch with our residents and they adored him too.

Dear Juniper, I think that all of our new students should volunteer at Juniper, because they will get to learn how to interact with residents over at Juniper. I have volunteered at Juniper for the Past 2 years at Crossroads.

This is what I have learned at Juniper: I learned how to interact with new people in a nice manner. This is why I think our new Students that are going to come here next year should volunteer at Juniper because it is a very nice environment to be at. All of the staff members are very nice to you and all of the residents are very sweet and kind to you. I love Juniper because they are really sweet to me, staff and residents. I hope that the people that volunteer there are happy with their job site like I was for the past two years here at Crossroads. You will make a lot of new friends here and at your worksite.

I got to clean the houses at Juniper I got to talk to the residents and have a lot of fun with all of the staff there. I really love working there because the people are really heartwarming. They are very sweet and loving to all the people around you I am going to miss everyone at Juniper. I hope I get to come and see all of you guys again at some point. I am wondering if you guys will let me do in internship over at Juniper. I am really sad that I have to leave school and I really was hoping that I could get a job at Juniper someday. 

My advice for the new volunteers is that they show a lot of respect to the staff there that were nice to me.

Love,

Tristan

January 2017 Events in Aurora, CO: Welcome New Beginnings

Welcome to 2017! What a wonderful time for us to reflect on the past year and forge ahead with new beginnings. January is a time to begin again; a time when we make (and sometimes break) our New Year’s resolutions and focus on how we want to improve 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! Do you know that 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. Because of this, Juniper Communities has adopted the Music & Memory program.

Through the use of MP3 players and headphones our teams download personalized music for each resident. These musical favorites tap deep memories and can bring participants back to life, enabling them to feel like themselves again, to converse, socialize and stay present. Learn more about our Music & Memory program by talking with our Connections Director and consider making a donation to this worthwhile program. We accept donations of new or used iPods, new over the ear headphones and iTunes gift cards.

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 resolution to join us for activities and events throughout the year!

Our fabulous January 2017 events in Aurora, CO at Juniper Village at Aurora include our:

§  Celebrate Elvis with Shelvis because the “King of Rock and Roll”, Elvis is remembered here, so come have a rocking good time with Shelvis and her band on January 8^th at 6:30 pm.

§  New Year New You as we would like to say Thank You for your partnership, and to show our gratitude we are offering Free 15 minute Massages with Tours on January 26^th from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

We look forward to sharing our January 2017 events in Aurora, CO at Juniper Village at Aurora with you as you Welcome New Beginnings.

Woody, Resident Dog

Pup-a-roni, belly rubs, doggie treats galore, these are a few of my favorite things.  Woody was dog tired yesterday watching the elves at work creating Christmas tree ornaments and anticipating a fruit cake crumb landing close to his feet. Oh, the smells and celebrations of the Christmas season close at hand tuckered out our resident dog until the next resident comes along scratching Woody behind his ears and rubbing his tummy with lots of love. I wonder what Santa will bring him.  Have you been a good doggie this year?

May we celebrate the little things in life that make the journey memorable for those we touch. Merry Christmas to all our dog lovers and sweet doggie treats dreams.

December 2016 Events in Aurora, CO: Celebrate Little Things

Juniper Village nurtures wellbeing by encouraging an active body, an engaged mind and a fulfilled spirit. This month this custom is more evident than ever as we share our celebratory spirit - mind, body and soul. December is a month filled with holidays and celebrations, but at Juniper we like to kick it up a notch! All around the community all of your senses will be stimulated as you see traditional holiday décor, hear joyous laughter and singing, smell heavenly treats baking and taste them as well. We will celebrate all the joyous little things that make this time of year so special. Traditions both old and new will be honored. And through sharing our numerous cultures and traditions with each other we will learn more about each other, opening the door to deeper understanding.

This month take a moment to reflect on the little things that bring joy to your life. Reminisce about the traditions from your past and the new traditions you have started with your family. Celebrate the holiday season with us as we share a bit of ourselves with our annual cookie exchange and ethnic holiday celebrations. December is always an eventful month and we look forward to sharing it with you.

Our fabulous December 2016 events in Aurora, CO at Juniper Village at Aurora include our:

§  Christmas Cookie Delivery Club because even though for most of us the holidays are the busiest time of the year, the kind and caring folks at Juniper Village will be delivering our signature Christmas Cookies to our partners in caring before Santa eats them all on December 6^th. (RSVP with Melissa at 303-218-8322 if you’d like us to stop by your office.)

§  Photos with Santa as we join Jolly Old St. Nick here at Juniper Village at Aurora for our 2016 Holiday Photos before he has to rush off to work finishing his Naughty and Nice Lists on December 8^th at 10:00 am.

We look forward to sharing our December 2016 events in Aurora, CO at Juniper Village at Aurora with you as you Celebrate Little Things.

November 2016 Events in Aurora, CO: Cherish the Journey

Each November we turn our attention to Family with our Alive In All Seasons Theme: Cherish the Journey. We have always enjoyed helping our residents chronical their individual life journeys through journaling. In addition to keeping track of the daily happenings in our lives, journaling has surprising health benefits as well. University of Texas at Austin psychologist and researcher James Pennebaker contends that regular journaling strengthens immune cells, called T-lymphocytes. He also believes that writing about stressful events helps you come to terms with them, thus reducing the impact of stress on your health. Other research indicates that journaling decreases the symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. Scientific evidence also shows that writing your thoughts down can help clarify your thoughts and feelings, help you to know yourself better, reduce stress, and problem solve more effectively. An additional benefit of journaling is that you are leaving a legacy for future generations. Review your journal together! Reminiscing about the events in one’s life is a way to affirm who they are, what they’ve accomplished in life and relive happy times. So, pick up a pen and Cherish the Journey, the benefits are endless!

Join our journey through November as we honor and celebrate family and the journey of life with our autobiographical journaling. Help us support our greater community with our annual Food Drive and our on-site support groups. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Our fabulous November 2016 events in Aurora, CO at Juniper Village at Aurora include our:

§  Holiday Edition Expert Panel because when we think holidays, we think food; we can’t help it; that’s why this “Two-Part Holiday Edition” of the Juniper Village Expert Panel will feature our very own Chef, Chris Hannah, and one of our favorite Occupational Therapists, Robyn Phelps of Senior Functional Fitness, for a unique experience that will be extremely informative and also tasty with a live cooking exhibit, so all are encouraged to attend this quarterly event on November 2^nd at 6:30 pm.

§  Painting With Elyse because memories are the most precious keepsake, no matter which holiday it is, so join our family at Juniper Village as we enjoy painting and making memories together with our wonderful instructor Elyse at this event that is open to everyone on November 16^th from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

§  Juniper Village Annual Food Drive because here at Juniper, we believe the holiday season should be something every family looks forward to, so help others this holiday season by helping us gather donations for our annual food drive; we will accept canned goods and monetary donations to help benefit local families, so please bring donations to the front lobby at Juniper Village at Aurora all month long.

We look forward to sharing our November 2016 events in Aurora, CO at Juniper Village at Aurora with you as you Cherish the Journey.

October 2016 Events in Aurora, CO: Show Your Colors

As we say good bye to Indian summer, we welcome the cooler air and slower pace of the autumn season. From warm apple cider, everything pumpkin and end of season hiking trips, there are so many reasons to enjoy autumn. William Cullen Bryant says it best, “Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile.” With the seasonal changes now in full swing we see fall flowers appearing where summer blooms once stood and leaves changing into vibrant shades of yellow, orange and red. The evening air has a slight chill and carries the scent of campfires, leaves and cinnamon spice. Our activities turn from swimming and baseball to raking leaves and football. Not only is Mother Nature showing her colors, but we begin to show our team colors with a focus on sports! Join us throughout the month as we bond over sporting events while cheering on our favorite teams, complete with tailgate parties and snacks.

Throughout October we will show our colors as we sponsor and support local sports teams. We will honor our associates who show their colors by “nurturing the spirit of life” with The Juniper Spirit awards. Alas, October would not be complete without celebrating the season with our annual Halloween Costume Party, which is open to ghosts and goblins of all ages. Join us this month and Show Your Colors!

Our fabulous October 2016 events in Aurora, CO at Juniper Village at Aurora include our:

§  Oktoberfest because if you’ve never been to Munich for the World Famous Oktoberfest, Juniper Village at Aurora insists that you are missing out, and that’s why you’ll want to grab your largest stein and head toward the accordion filled fun at Juniper, from beer tasting to Roasted Bratwurst Skewers and Homemade Sauerkraut, Juniper will have it all, so come hungry and leave happy, as this fun filled tradition of ours is always something to look forward to, and this complimentary event is open to the general public on October 13^th from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm.

§  Physical Therapy at Home with Senior Functional Fitness’s very own Dr. Mollie, who will be in to teach us the basics of physical therapy, so we may even discover some basic steps we can take at home each day to help ourselves or those dear to us stay fit and healthy on October 21^st from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

§  Boo Fest as we are sure you already have some “spooktacular” events planned for this fun evening, so that’s why Juniper Village has a special morning celebration for this fright-filled holiday, and this event is open to the public and is sure to be a time you won’t want to miss on October 31^st at 9:30 am to 11:30 am.

We look forward to sharing our October 2016 events in Aurora, CO at Juniper Village at Aurora with you as you Show Your Colors.