Chili Cook Off

Pictured on top from left to right are Nathan Reed, Dietary Manager for Juniper Village at the Shenango Inn, and Ken Miller, Dietary Manager for Juniper Village at Forest Hills. Pictured on bottom from left to right are Ken Miller, Dietary Manager for Juniper Village at Forest Hills, along with Sarah and Kevin Robertson from the Dietary Department at Juniper Village at Forest Hills.  

On Saturday, April 22, the Rotary Club of Forest Hills hosted their 10th Annual Chili Cook Off.   The event had 16 contestants all competing for over $600 dollars in prize money and the title of the “Best Chili In Forest Hills”.  Juniper Village was proud to have 4 chefs enter this year’s contest. Sarah and Kevin Robertson and Ken Miller from Juniper Village at Forest Hills, and Nathan Reed from Juniper Village at the Shenango Inn.   With over 250 in attendance, the Rotary Club of Forest Hills was able to raise over $4000 dollars for their high school scholarship, community projects and Police and Fire Department donations.

Unfortunately, no one from Juniper Village won any prizes this year, but in our eyes, they are all winners just for participating.  Thanks again to everyone for all of their support and here’s to next year!!!

National Firefighters Day

On National Firefighters Day, May 4^th, we wanted to make sure our local firefighters knew how much we truly appreciated what they do, not only for our residents here at Juniper Village at the Shenango Inn, but for our entire community.  So what better way to say thank you, then to deliver homemade spaghetti and meatballs for the entire Sharon Fire Station. 

 “Firefighters save more than homes, they save hearts, memories and dreams.”  A big thank you for all that you do, Sharon Fire Department!

May 2017 Events in Sharon, 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 Sharon, PA at Juniper Village at The Shenango Inn include our:

§  Cinco de Mayo Mixer to enjoy a frosty cold margarita, spicy appetizers and a wonderful opportunity to network with other professionals in our community, and this month’s fitness focus may even lead us to spontaneously break into a Mexican Hat Dance, so join us by grabbing your sombrero and mariachis to revitalize after a busy day on May 5^th from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. (RSVP by May 1^st to 724-347-4000.)

§  Mother’s Day Tea to honor our mothers with a delicious treat complete with elegant finger sandwiches and assorted teas as we celebrate this special day with special memories at the historic Shenango Inn on May 14^th at 2:00 pm. (RSVP by May 10^th to 724-347-4000.)

We look forward to sharing our May 2017 events in Sharon, PA at Juniper Village at The Shenango Inn with you as you Grow Strong Daily.

Buhl Community Dance

The residents of Juniper Village at the Shenango Inn got a real treat when the tiny dancers of Buhl Community Dance tapped on by for a special performance! Children in vibrant colored costumes brought smiles and happiness to the residents that evening. A special thank you to Michelle Bower of Buhl Community Dance who organized the event. If you have a group that would like to perform for the residents of Juniper Village at the Shenango Inn, please call 724-347-4000 and learn how you can get onto our connections calendar!

Homemade Breakfast

Chef Nathan of Juniper Village at the Shenango Inn provides a special homemade breakfast every second Tuesday of the month at the Shenango Valley Senior Center, in Hermitage.  This morning guests were treated to French toast with a wild berry dressing and whip cream! It was berrylicious! For more information about Juniper Village at the Shenango Inn or if you would like Chef Nathan to provide breakfast at your next meeting or event, please contact Christa Cicuto at 724-347-4000 ext. 145

April 2017 Events in Sharon, PA: Believe in Yourself

Each April we begin our Healthy Aging Series with a focus on brain health, and encourage you to Believe in Yourself. We know that believing in yourself has a positive effect on your mental health, but did you know that self-confidence influences your physical health as well? Recent studies show people who exhibit self-confidence are generally healthier and tend to live longer. That's because confidence is a positive emotion and positive emotions have countless health benefits for your mind, body and spirit. In nurturing wellbeing by encouraging an active body, an engaged mind and a fulfilled spirit, Juniper is also building self-confidence. The link between health and confidence also may be related to the ability of positive emotions to boost our brain's power to hold attention, be aware and remember things. We are better able to learn, build new skills and relate with others when we are feeling optimistic. Also confident people are better able to handle chaotic situations in a positive manner. This helps to reduce or avoid excessive stress, high blood pressure, anger, confusion – all the negative side effects of feeling powerless, overwhelmed and out of control.

If you need to kick start your confidence, here are a few things to try: smile; count your blessings; surround yourself with confident people; learn how others have found their confidence and follow their lead; challenge negative or inaccurate thinking and replace with accurate, constructive thoughts; and encourage yourself. You can also plan to join us this month for uplifting discussions and a focus on brain health with offerings such as Daily Brain Builders, Wii games, and a Brain Healthy Luncheon.

Our fabulous April 2017 events in Sharon, PA at Juniper Village at The Shenango Inn include our:

§  Brain Healthy Luncheon because what’s good for your body is good for your brain, so as we focus on the Brain this month, joins us for a delicious luncheon of brain healthy foods thoughtfully prepared by Chef Nathan, and on the menu is Seared Salmon Spring Mix Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette served with French Bread on April 4^th at Noon. (RSVP by April 1^st to 724-347-4000.)

§  Connect4Life to find out what Connect4Life is and why it is getting so much national attention, come learn about this innovative program that sets Juniper apart by reducing re-hospitalizations and increasing resident quality of life as experts will be on hand to  explain the program and share statistics proving how valuable Connect4Life is on April 12^th at 1:30 pm.

§  World Heritage Day Mixer as World Heritage is the shared wealth of humankind and protecting and preserving this valuable asset demands the collective efforts of the international community, so share in this opportunity to raise awareness about the diversity of cultural heritage by joining us for wine and hors d’oeuvres from around the world as you network with community professionals on April 18^th  4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. (RSVP to 724-347-4000.)

We look forward to sharing our April 2017 events in Sharon, PA at Juniper Village at The Shenango Inn with you as you Believe in Yourself.

Connect4Life Leads to Better Outcomes for Residents

Integrated Care in Seniors Housing that Meets the Triple Aim from Cindy Longfellow

Data shows Connect4Life’s high-tech/high-touch integrated services lead to higher quality care and better outcomes for residents

Executive Summary: Integrated Care in Seniors Housing that Meets
the Triple Aim

By Anne Tumlinson, MMHS and Lynne Katzmann, PhD

According to the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, more than 190 million Americans, or about 59 percent of the population, are affected by one or more chronic illnesses. Over the next 15 years (between 2016 and 2030,) 80 percent of the United States population will experience one or more chronic conditions, costing more than $42 trillion in medical care spending and losses in employment productivity.

To address these challenges and enhance the resident experience, Juniper Communities, a Bloomfield, NJ-based national owner-operator of seniors housing, developed the Connect4Life model, which provides on-site comprehensive therapy, primary care, pharmacy and lab services, integrated with other services using a “high-tech/high-touch” communications protocol that transfers information through an Electronic Health Record (EHR) and coordinates care through a human navigator.

Juniper Communities retained Anne Tumlinson Innovations (ATI) to compare Connect4Life outcomes and utilization data with data on the broader Medicare population from the 2012 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS). The findings suggest that the Connect4Life model contributes to lower hospital readmissions and the utilization of inpatient services among a high-need resident population. The results affirm the potential of integrating select clinical care and services in a seniors housing environment that provides supportive services to those who have chronic conditions, functional limitations, and complex social needs.

The results suggest an integrated program of services in seniors housing—like Juniper’s Connect4Life —can contribute to reducing the cost of care and services to Medicare beneficiaries residing in seniors housing. More importantly, the data points to the value of the Connect4Life model for managing population health because of its ability to efficiently target integrated care interventions in the high cost, high-need Medicare population.

Juniper Communities has been a thought leader in senior living care, developing nearly a dozen innovative service and delivery programs to enhance aging, lifestyle and resident health. Recognizing opportunities in to meet the triple aim of recent health policy changes in the United States – improved customer satisfaction, evidence-base quality and lower healthcare utilization, Juniper is pioneering Connect 4 Life – one of senior living’s first truly integrated care models of assisted living care and service.

Read more in the FREE White Paper!