Cherishing the Journey at Juniper of Williamstown

This month we are so excited as we celebrate these beautiful fall days and cherish our journey of life with family, friends and all those who are near and dear to our hearts.

Of course this month we began by remembering all of our special loved ones who have departed to Glory in 2016 with our Annual Candle Light Vigil.  It was a beautiful evening with heartfelt inspirational poetry and visits with families and friends to remember the beautiful journeys we have all shared with their loved ones!

In addition, we celebrated welcoming new residents to our community as well as new team members!  We welcome them all with open arms and hearts of gratitude to share their journey with us.  In addition the residents have been enjoying all the joys of this season especially sharing time painting pumpkins and playing games with our beloved Rowan students.

We will continue on with wonderful celebrations this month and we hope to see you here!

November 2016 Events in Williamstown, NJ: 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 Williamstown, NJ at Juniper Village at Williamstown include our:

§  Bountiful Abundance Community Event as we celebrate the beauty and bounty this season has to offer, and focus on gratitude for all of the joy this year has given to us and celebrate our “Alive in All Seasons” theme of Family “Cherish The Journey” so bring the family and enjoy an afternoon filled with great music, dancing and the delicious refreshments from the bountiful abundance here in our local area, so join us as we give thanks for the bountiful abundant lives we live on November 9^th at 3:00 pm.

§  The Journey To Health by Genesis/Theralink Team as we enjoy the festive foods of the season and take time out to learn the best techniques in implementing moderation and balance enabling our continuation of the Journey to Health while enjoying life, and remember our goal is to live long and strong, so join us as we “Cherish the Journey of Life” while achieving the best of health on November 21^st at 1:30 pm.

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

Radiant Colors of Life in Williamstown!

As the beautiful October season is in full swing, residents at Juniper Village of Williamstown have been enjoying the Radiant Colors of Life in Williamstown, NJ!  Residents have enjoyed many outdoor offerings, such as a wonderful day at one of our local farms for a Harvest Festival Day. Everyone had a blast, as we played bean bag with many school children and families in the community, as well as enjoyed walking through the pumpkin patch and the corn maze! It was a vibrant and wonderful day filled with joy!

In addition, we have had time to play with children and remember what it is to celebrate simple joys and just play!  We also have welcomed new team members to our Juniper Community and even celebrated boss's day (a few days early) for our own Executive Director, MaryJane Eicke! We did it early so we could take her by surprise, though that was hard to pull off! It was great fun, and we finally were able to surprise our great leader!

Wishing everyone the joy of Harvest and it is our hope that you will take time to enjoy the "Radiant Colors of Life" as we are!

Juniper Village at Williamstown Receives Second Excellence in Action Award

Juniper Communities is proud to announce that Juniper Village at Williamstown has received the Excellence in Action award from My InnerView by the National Research Corporation.  This is the second time the community has been acknowledged. The award recognizes skilled nursing homes, assisted living, and independent living communities that achieve outstanding resident and/or employee satisfaction ratings.

“The staff worked really hard to achieve this award and it was a total team effort,” stated Mary Jane Eicke, Executive Director upon hearing about the award notification.

 “We are proud to recognize these long term care and senior living organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to quality excellence. These organizations listened to the true voices of residents, families, and employees and successfully enhanced their experiences,” said a statement from My InnerView. “The My InnerView database is the largest warehouse of long-term and senior living satisfaction metrics in the U.S. and these organizations have achieved the highest satisfaction scores, landing in the top 10 percent of all qualifying facilities.”

To qualify for the Excellence in Action award, client facilities must have:

·     completed a customer (Resident & Family Experience) or workforce (Employee Engagement) satisfaction survey during calendar year 2015, using standard facility instruments (may or may not include custom questions).

·     scored in the top 10% of qualifying facilities on the question "What is your recommendation of this facility to others?" in terms of percentage of respondents rating the facility as "excellent" (customer satisfaction award).

·     scored in the top 10% of qualifying facilities on the question "What is your recommendation of this facility as a place to work?" in terms of percentage of respondents rating the facility as "excellent" (workforce satisfaction award).

All standard data for calendar year 2015 were combined into one sample, regardless of method or date of administration. The term “customer" combines resident and family experience data. No workforce satisfaction award is available for independent living communities. 

Show Your Colors

As we kick off our "Alive in All Seasons" theme: Sports: "Show Your Colors," we are cannot wait to invite you to enjoy the festive offerings and events for the month of October! It is such a beautiful season and we anticipate the radiant colors and golden sunsets on the patio!

As we begin this month, we have welcomed new residents to our community with a joyful greeting from the juniper team and our Juniper Resident Ambassadors! We also welcomed new care associates joining our team as they enjoyed their orientation, a special lunch by our Dining Services Director, Ray Richardson as well as mentorship with our Mentors and of course all led by our Business Office Manger, Ellen! In addition, we  have even welcomed "Rosebud" the Therapy Chicken to our community! "Rosebud" made her debut as she arrived to our community with her trainer, Gwen; and brought so much joy and wonder to our residents! She even had a pedicure before coming! That's some kind of chicken! She had to hurry offsite though, as Ray was eyeing her up!

Join us for our many upcoming events this month, as our Fall Harvest Event, Our Fall Wine Tasting Event, and of course lots of fun and sports. Go Eagles!

October 2016 Events in Williamstown, NJ: 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 Williamstown, NJ at Juniper Village at Williamstown include our:

§  Community Fall Harvest Event as we kick off this beautiful fall season with a fun, festive time, and we will celebrate with radiant color, the beautiful fall foliage, great music, dancing and of course the most delicious of fall harvest seasonal refreshments, so join us as we kick off this season with a joyous, fun, festive event on October 4^th at 3:00 pm.

§  Bringing The Fun Into Fitness by the Genesis/Theralink Team as we celebrate our theme of Sports this month as we are happy to host a presentation by our Genesis/Theralink Team to find ways to incorporate more fun into fitness by adding sports, games, socials and dance, as long as we’re moving and grooving, we are keeping our bodies fit, so let’s add more fun into fitness this year on October 17^th at 1:30 pm.

§  Annual Community Wide Halloween Event as we continue to celebrate this season, bring the family and join us for this fun, festive event, including a safe trick or treat, music, dancing, balloon art and more, but beware of the ghouls and goblins that may be lurking around, and most of all don’t forget to wear your favorite costumes and masks as you join us for this fun joy-filled event on October 31^st at 2:00 pm.

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

September 2016 Events in Williamstown, NJ: Spread Your Joy

As the air begins to cool and summer wanes, Juniper Village ends our “Stay Connected” series by recognizing Friendship and Joy. What is it that brings you joy? Is it the wet nose of a newborn pup? The smile of your first grandchild? The taste of a triple chocolate ice cream cone? Whatever it is we invite you to share that joy with others at Juniper Village this month.

Much attention has been paid to studies regarding the effects of stress on your health, but what about the effects of joy? The landmark “Nun Study,” as it's often known, revealed that positive emotion is correlated with longevity: 90% of the most cheerful quarter of nuns was alive at the age of eighty-five, whereas only 34% of the least cheerful quarter lived to that age. Similarly, 54% of the most cheerful fourth was alive at age ninety-four, versus 11% of the least cheerful. Of the 678 sisters in the original study about four dozen are still living. So go ahead, grab that triple chocolate cone it might just extend your life!

Join us this month as we celebrate friendship and staying connected with calendar events such as our annual daffodil planting and our home warming, birthday party and Best Friend initiatives.

Our fabulous September 2016 events in Williamstown, NJ at Juniper Village at Williamstown include our:

§  Labor Day Patriotic Tribute Event as it is our honor at Juniper Village at Williamstown to celebrate our great nation’s military and all those who labor to keep America great, so join us as we gather together with friends and family to celebrate this day in joy and respect for all those that have labored before us and for the great nation we are privileged to reside in on September 5^th at 2:00 pm.

§  The Joy of Fitness with Friends by our Genesis Team because as we all know, fitness and movement are critical to optimum health, and as we are living longer, we want to increase the quality of our lives which will require adding fitness as a regular, daily practice, but sometimes doing it alone can be a challenge, so our Genesis team is going to enlighten us on new and creative ways to enjoy fitness with friends, thereby making it a lot more fun, so join us as we increase fitness and nurture friendships at the same time on September 19^th at 1:15 pm.

We look forward to sharing our September 2016 events in Williamstown, NJ at Juniper Village at Williamstown with you as you Spread Your Joy.