Jennifer Harris of Juniper Village at Aurora Promoted to Regional Director of Operations

Juniper Communities, one of the largest owner-operators of assisting living properties with revenues at $62 million, has named Jennifer Harris Director of Operations for the Colorado region.  Previously she was the Executive Director of Juniper Village at Aurora, recruited there in May, 2008 as the Wellness Director. She was promoted after one year to Executive Director.

In her new position, Harris will oversee the operations of three of Juniper’s Denver metro properties – Aurora, Louisville, and The Spearly Center – and expects to take on more as Juniper continues its expansion in this marketplace.

Lynne Katzmann, Founder and CEO of Juniper spoke about Harris’s abilities, “Jennifer has been a strong leader at Juniper for many years.  She proved her abilities not only in two different positions at Aurora but also in special project work throughout our portfolio.  At Juniper, our mission and culture drive our success so promoting from within makes a lot of sense as our new leaders not only have proven skills but also understand and believe in our mission!”

In her role as Executive Director of Juniper Village at Aurora, Harris led the Aurora team to be recognized by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America with its ‘Excellence in Care, Dementia Care Program of Distinction’ designation in 2009-11, 2011-13 and 2014-16; also, the Alzheimer’s Association’s Leader in Dementia Care for 2012 and 2013. Under her leadership, Juniper Village at Aurora was the first community to fully implement an electronic heath record system and received numerous corporate awards for customer satisfaction.

“It has been my great pleasure to work with Jennifer in multiple roles and projects over the years.  She brings an incredible level of operational strength and wisdom to her work with our Colorado communities.  I have no doubt that she will continue to foster our Juniper mission and community success in her new role as regional director,” said Cindy Longfellow, National Director of Sales and Marketing.

Jennifer Harris started her career in healthcare 21 years ago as a Certified Nursing Assistant. She went on to nursing school and has been a licensed nurse for 16 years.

“I have loved working with elders and especially with the Dementia population. My journey in healthcare has been so much more rewarding than I ever thought it would be,” Jennifer said.

Stand in Integrity: July Events

July is the month in which we celebrate our nation’s independence with fireworks, cook outs and by cherishing our own personal freedoms. Nelson Mandela reminds us “to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” In that spirit join us as we honor those who “Stand in Integrity.”

Dr. Barbara Killinger, PhD, offers this definition of integrity: “Integrity is a personal choice, an uncompromising and predictably consistent commitment to honor moral, ethical, spiritual and artistic values and principles.” To “Stand in Integrity” does not mean that you are flawless or perfect, it means that you admit your shortcomings; you have influence, not because people like you, but because people trust you, believe you, and follow you.

We will also celebrate this month’s Alive in All Seasons theme of Volunteerism by volunteering our time to others, honoring those who volunteer with us, including our Resident Ambassadors; and learning more about volunteer opportunities in the greater community.

Our fabulous activity offerings this month include our July 4^th BBQ Celebrating Summer featuring tasty selections from the grill and delicious sides with live music and entertainment out on our lovely patio on July 4^th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm; our Volunteer Social: Honoring our Friends cordially invite our friends in health care and the surrounding communities to join us for live music and light refreshments in our cozy country store on July 17^th from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm; or our Beat the Heat Sumer Bash serving light refreshments while our favorite duo Just the Two of Us performs out on our patio on July 30^th from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm. Take a look at our calendar and join us for any and all activities that will help you make the most of these last few weeks of summer. 

Live in Wellness: June Events

The month of June is named after the Roman goddess of marriage, Juno. It is no wonder that so many weddings occur during the month of June. As is such, Juniper Communities will be reminiscing about and celebrating weddings throughout the month. June is also the month with the longest daytime hours of the year in the northern hemisphere. Make the best of the extended days by celebrating wellness!

Can the choices you make really affect your health and wellness? Absolutely! Cancer, heart disease, lung disease, stroke and injury, the major causes of death and health problems, can all be prevented by choosing a healthy lifestyle. Simple changes like choosing not to smoke, seeing your doctor regularly, maintaining a healthy diet, exercising and getting enough sleep all contribute to longer life.

This month we finish our quarterly Alive In All Seasons theme of “Let Wellbeing Thrive” by engaging in activities focused on food and nutrition. Look for our consistently health snack and juice options at our hydration stations and dietitian presentations. Our H’Art and Soul of Dining Program will also be showcased as we implement the addition of more regional favorites – focusing on fresh and scratch made, our signature soups and muffin of the day as well as the new grill menu.

Our fabulous activity offerings this month include our Father’s Day BBQ on June 13^th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm; our Taste Test Challenge on June 19^th from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm; and our Iron Chef Cook-Off on June 25^th from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm. Join us this month as we Live in Wellness.

Team Spearly Joins The 2014 NAMI Walk

Team Spearly continues to live fully throughout all seasons of life. This spring, we supported the National Alliance for Mental Illness and participated in the 2014 NAMI Walk for the fourth year in a row! This year's NAMI Walk was held on May 17th at the beautiful Centennial Center Park in Centennial, Colorado, located just 14 miles outside of Denver.

Spearly residents, staff, and family members (both two-legged and four-legged) enjoyed the sunshine and crisp Colorado air as they exercised and socialized during a wonderful event to show support and raise funds for mental illness. The Spearly Center also had a booth with information about recent renovations at Spearly, a raffle, and giveaways. It's always special to take part in a community event for a common goal. A great time was had by all! If you would like to join Team Spearly for next year's NAMI Walk, please let us know... we would love to walk with you!

"My first NAMI Walk was really enjoyable... it was amazing!"
~Aisha (Spearly Staff)

"It was a lot of fun. The sun felt good. There were a lot of people there."
~Jackie (Spearly Resident)

"It was a great experience. It was really inspiring to see all the support that the booths represented. The residents had fun in the community."
~Michael (Spearly Staff)

Grow Strong Daily: May Events

Welcome to May where we will be dancing around the May Pole on May Day; donning opulent hats for the Kentucky Derby and sombreros for Cinco de Mayo; honoring our mothers on Mother’s Day and our fallen heroes on Memorial Day. What a fantastic month of celebration! In addition to observing these holidays, Juniper Village will be focusing on this month’s Alive In All Seasons theme “Grow Strong Daily” with an emphasis on fitness.

Studies show exercise is an effective treatment for many chronic conditions such as arthritis, heart disease and diabetes and can also help people with high blood pressure, balance problems or difficulty walking. Stress management, improved mood and cognitive function are other benefits of regular exercise. This is why Juniper Village makes exercise a part of every day! We are completely dedicated to whole person wellness and “nurturing the spirit of life” for each individual we touch by encouraging an active body, an engaged mind and a fulfilled spirit.

Join us here at Juniper Village at the Spearly Center for our Hip to be Fit Sports Challenge on May 6^th from 10:00 am to noon; the National Alliance for Mental Illness Walk in Centennial Central Park on May 17^th from 8:30 am to 11:00 am; and our Grow Healthy Daily Memorial Day BBQ on May 26^th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. See our newsletter calendar for a complete listing of events and come visit us during any that suit your fancy!

A Sea Of Green

For those lucky enough to be in our building on Monday, March 17th,
everywhere you turned you saw green: from the hanging decorations that
adorned our halls and common areas, to the attire of both residents
and staff, and even our food! For Monday was St. Patrick's Day, and
no where was there more celebration than at The Spearly Center.

The day started off with a performance in our main dining room by the
Irish Heritage Step Dancers. A competitive dance group composed of
youth of all ages, they engaged our residents with a variety of feet
thomping dance steps, unique costumes, and traditional Irish music.
And our residents didn't hang back as they did some dance renditions
of their own. In the afternoon, two parties were held: one in our
newly renovated Country Store, and the other on the Spruce
neighborhood. Don Garcia provided live entertainment- an assortment
of rock n' roll, Irish tunes, and his signature vocal renditions. The
celebration was topped off by a variety of tasty treats, including
pastries, cookies, jello and whipped cream- all dyed green for the
occasion. Mmmmm.... delicious!

Believe in Yourself: April Events

April, the month where we play innocent pranks on April Fool’s Day; celebrate Springtime and Easter with egg hunts, brunches, and church; pay homage to mother earth on Earth Day; and welcome the return of America’s favorite pastime – Baseball. This month we embark on a new quarter in our Alive in All Seasons calendar where we celebrate Healthy Aging and will “Let Wellbeing Thrive”. Throughout April our focus is on the brain and honoring the theme “Believe in Yourself”. Did you know that activities that are good for your heart are also good for your brain? The American Heart Association tells us that protecting memory and brain health is a matter of keeping your heart and blood vessels healthy. Regular cardio exercise and a healthy diet not only keep your heart happy, but your brain too.

This month’s offerings include activities and events that will keep our bodies and brains healthy and renew our faith in ourselves. Educational opportunities will cover brain health topics such as brain booster activities and ways to keep fit. We will rejoice in our individuality and celebrate ourselves through life affirming reminiscent and creative activities while reminding each other to “Believe in Yourself”.

Please join us here at Juniper Village at the Spearly Center for our “Who Wants to be a Brainiac?” competition on April 8^th from 10:00 am to 11:00 am; our Spearly Open House on April 24^th from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm; and our Believe in You Tips from the Experts presentation on April 29th from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm. See our newsletter calendar for a complete listing of events and come visit us during any that suit your fancy!