Sue Pappas named Nursing Home Administrator of the Year

Sue Pappas of Juniper Village at the Spearly Center won the Colorado Healthcare Association Nursing Home Administrator of the Year last night at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Denver, Colorado on September 17, 2015.  This is an incredible honor and was the result of a nomination submitted by Sue’s team members at the Spearly Center.

Sue Pappas is the nursing home administrator for Juniper Village at the Spearly Center.  Juniper Village at the Spearly Center is licensed as a skilled nursing community in the state of Colorado.  But it is truly much more than that.  Juniper Village at the Spearly Center serves many adults and seniors with special needs.  Nearly 50% of the residents at the Spearly Center live with psychiatric diagnoses the impact their ability to live successfully in the world at large.  Many of these folks also have additional medical diagnoses that have impacted them even further. 

Sue has been with Juniper since January 8, 2010. “Juniper Village at the Spearly Center is a special place.  Under Sue’s leadership, the building has been transformed into a real community—a place that truly nurtures the spirit of life in residents and Associates both.  Sue walks the talk and that is what we are all about.  Thank you Sue for being such a great example for us all.”  Stated Lynne Katzmann, founder and CEO, of Juniper Communities.

Sue has led the charge for additional programming and community improvements that have truly enhanced the lives of every resident at this community.  We are proud to call her part of the Juniper family.

Butterfly Release

At the Spearly Center we “Nurture the Spirit of Life”. One of our themes is The Environment: “Breathe in Life”. Recently, we held an event called Natural Wonders Release a Butterfly With your Sidekick. Residents, Staff and Visitors enjoyed the metamorphic process of caterpillars turning into Butterflies, especially the Butterfly release on such a beautiful day.

September 2015 Events in Denver, CO: 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!

This month we invite you to “Spread Your Joy” as we honor our friendships in our Red Hat and Villager clubs and our Best Friends events; get our hands dirty at our Friendship Daffodil Project; and celebrate with our Birthday Party and House Warming Initiatives.

Our fabulous September 2015 events in Denver, CO at Juniper Village at The Spearly Center include our:

§  Spearly Sidekick Spread Your Joy Social as we cordially invite friends, family and neighbors to this sampling of “spreads” to celebrate friendship, so join us on our Outdoor Patio with  a variety of fruit, vegetable and cheese spreads and spread the joy of friendship on September 10^th at 2:30 pm.

§  7^th Annual Spearly Sidekick Photo Shoot because everyone loves to take photos with friends, this fun and memorable activity is one of Spearly’s most anticipated events of the year since it brings joy, laughter and camaraderie to family members, residents, staff and visitors to the Spearly community, and professional portraits are provided and costume changes are encouraged on September 17^th from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

§  Friendship Gathering Amish Friendship Bread Tasting because breaking bread among friends is a time-honored tradition, Amish Friendship Bread is started by one and given to many, symbolizing the gift that never stops giving, so our Partners in Caring, First Responders, and community members are invited to break bread with us and share stories of friendship in our Country Store on September 24^th at 11:00 am.

We look forward to sharing our September 2015 events in Denver, CO at Juniper Village at The Spearly Center with you as we Spread Your Joy.