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.

The Sweet Breath of Life at Juniper of Williamstown

As The month of August comes to a close, we remember all of the joys and wonderful outdoor moments and memories we have created this summer! We enjoyed many opportunities to be out in the beautiful environment, enjoying the Sweet Breath of Life, right here at Juniper Village at Williamstown!

We enjoyed wonderful walks in nature, sweet tea on the patios, watching the hummingbirds as they nurture at the hibiscus flowers and so much more.  We celebrated with fun outdoor parties, and enjoyed our Annual Free Community Wide Shredding Event, where everyone took advantage of clearing out the old to make room for the new, but the most adorable moment of that event was when one of our precious residents saw the donation table and ran over and said, "I would love to make a donation to the Alzheimer's Association!"  That truly was the most touching moment to behold!  Residents also enjoyed going out with their friends and enjoying nature at its best!

In addition, our entire Juniper staff was celebrated with a great BBQ celebration prepared by Ray, our Dining Director and his wonderful team to extend gratitude for our staff receiving our AFA Certification for our Memory Care Program, for Outstanding Care as well as our Advanced Standing Certification for both the Village and Memory Care! In addition a wonderful My Interview Award that we received this month as well.  We are so thankful to our Entire Juniper Team for their Excellence and their achievements!

We also were excited to create a new and beautiful sensory snoozy in room in our Memory Care Building and the residents and families are already expressing how relaxed they feel in this sensory environment!

Join us for September for all of our upcoming events and remember to Breath in Life as you enjoy the last weeks of summer!

Breathe In Life With Joy!

As we cruise to the last month of summer, we decided to celebrate in true summer style!  We will enjoy all that the environment and nature have to share with us in this summer season for as long as we can here at Juniper of Williamstown!

As we focus on our "Alive in All Seasons" theme of the "Environment": "Breathe in Life", we are taking full advantage of being outdoors!  We enjoyed the beauty of visiting a butterfly sanctuary, enjoying bird watching, hikes in the park and more!

We also enjoyed our Annual Back To School Out Reach Event, which donated new bookbags and school supplies for the children going back to school in September.  We celebrated with a full outdoor beach party with live music, refreshments, outdoor arts and of course great summer refreshments with ice cream!  This year the bookbags were donated to Williamstown Middle School and the School Represenative, Maureen was shocked when she and her team saw the generosity and the number of bookbags filled with school supplies they received this year!  It was a summer blast and residents enjoyed a beautiful day outdoors with family and friends!

We will continue on in this month with our Annual Community Wide Free Shredder Event which literally stops traffic in Williamstown!  We have received calls for this event since January 2016!  We look forward to enjoying the rest of this summer in style and we hope you will join us for all of our upcoming events!

Remember to "Breathe In Life In Joy" and take time to enjoy the environment and beauty that surrounds you!

August 2016 Events in Williamstown, NJ: Breathe in Life

Each August we turn our focus to the environment by offering social events and educational opportunities on living a more environmentally sustainable life. By making caring choices and creating helpful habits we can all make a difference to our planet.

Did you know that an aluminum can may remain in its current condition in a landfill for up to 500 years? That same can, when recycled, can end up back on your grocer’s shelf in as little as two months. Recycling that aluminum can also saves energy. Enough energy, in fact, to power your television for three hours! Aluminum can be recycled over, and over and over again – without limit. Americans will use about 2.5 million plastic bottles every thirty minutes. If that bottle is not recycled it can spend the next 450 years or more in a landfill. A modern glass bottle will take about 4,000 years to biodegrade. Glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled again, and again and again. So, the next time you are enjoying a delicious beverage, be conscious of the packaging and make the choice to recycle.

Join us this month as we promote the environment with a focus on our recycling programs – from annual rummage sales to shredding and more; our educational offerings will help you to support our environment and Breathe in Life!

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

§  Annual Back To School Community Outreach Event as it is our great joy to have an opportunity to give back to our community throughout the year, and this event is one of our favorites, so please join us for a wonderful fun event with great music, summer refreshments and more, where the ticket in the door is a brand new book bag filled with paper pads, color markers, and pencils, so we can send children back to school with the tools they need to begin their new school year with confidence on August 4^th at 2:00 pm.

§  Movement & Breath Technique by Genesis Team as it is our joy to celebrate our “Alive in All Seasons” theme of the Environment this month, and in keeping with this theme, we are pleased to have our Genesis Team give this educational presentation because as we all know movement is vital for everyone to remain mobile and keep our joints flexible, and as we engage in movement of our bodies it is critical to learn proper breathing techniques while engaged in movement, so our Genesis team will demonstrate the best way to create proper oxygen flow as we move through our daily routines as well as fitness, so join us as we learn together on August 15^th at 1:15 pm.

§  Annual Community Free Shredder Event as every year this event has been one of our most successful events, and we have chosen to provide this free service to our area community to assist in providing a safe and secure place to have your personal paperwork and documents shredded, so join us as we enjoy music, refreshments and free shredding, and let’s clean up our homes and community and together keep our environment refreshed on August 18^th at 10:00 am.

We look forward to sharing our August 2016 events in Williamstown, NJ at Juniper Village at Williamstown with you as you Breathe in Life.