March 2015 Events in Denver, CO: Your Treasure Is Within

Treasure hunting has been around forever! The search for riches has evolved from archaeological digs revealing lost treasure to present day treasure hunts such as television’s “The Amazing Race”. Much has been written about the allure of treasure, but one thing that we’ve come to realize is that the treasure within is the most valuable of all. Each one of us has a treasure within and through our March 2015 events in Denver, CO we will be exploring that treasure at Juniper Village at The Spearly Center - be it your ability to sing, play a musical instrument, recite dramatic prose or balance a spoon at the end of your nose. No treasure is too small! In the immortal words of Captain Jack Sparrow, “Not all treasure’s silver and gold, mate.”

With our March 2015 events in Denver, CO at Juniper Village at The Spearly Center we end our Creative Expressions Series with a focus on Performance. Please join us during our March 2015 events in Denver, CO while we recognize “Your Treasure is Within” as we provide opportunities to express yourself through our weekly drama clubs and by attending theatrical performances. If step dancing and corned beef and cabbage is more your thing, sample all that is Irish with our annual St. Patrick’s Day party or walk the red carpet and share your movie trivia skills at our Oscar Party.

Our fabulous March 2015 events in Denver, CO include our Heritage Step Dancers Moving with Style performance as we welcome this energetic and talented group of performers for a pleasant morning of entertainment and fun with light refreshments on March 10^th at 10:00 am; our Luck of the Irish St. Patty’s Day Celebration our annual “Green Affair” where friends, family and our Greater Denver community are invited to partake in tasty treats and mix and mingle with our dear residents as traditional Celtic music will be played and door prizes will be awarded on March 17^th at 2:30 pm; or our North High School Drama Club presentation by a talented group of individuals who has taken the time to volunteer so graciously in our community on March 26^th at 10:00 am.  

We hope to see you at one or more of our March 2015 events in Denver, CO, so check out our calendar for more!

Awaken Your Passion: February Events

This month at Juniper Village we continue our Creative Expressions Series with a focus on Art.

Creating art for many of our seniors has been a lifelong passion, for others it may have been a casual hobby or serious vocation. Whatever the reason, art has substantial benefits to our bodies, minds and spirits! In Successful Aging, John W. Rowe, MD, and Robert L. Kahn, PhD, discuss key aspects of successful aging: low risk of disease, high mental and physical functioning, and being actively engaged in life. Expressive art activities promote active engagement in life in positive, healthy, and fulfilling ways - in other words, nurturing the spirit of life. Recent studies further indicate that older adults who participate in art programs have fewer doctor visits, use less medication, and experience a lower rate of depression – all resulting in lower healthcare costs.

Our fabulous activity offerings this month include our Will You Be Mine Valentine’s Day Social as we celebrate this heart-warming holiday with great music and tasty treats at this affair hosted in our quaint Country store for our dear family members and friendly neighbors with a chance to win a great raffle and other door prizes on February 13^th from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm; our Celebrate the Bayou Mardi Gras Festivity exciting gala festivities taking place in our Country store and overflowing to the patio with tasty Cajun food and traditional New Orleans music so don your favorite mask and pile on the beads as we celebrate the best of the Bayou deep in the heart of Spearly on February 17^th from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm; or our Awaken Your Passion 5^th Annual Spearly Art Show as we showcase the creative and artistic styles of our residents with prizes awarded in several categories on February 26^th from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm.

Look through our calendar and plan to join us this month and “Awaken Your Passion” as we explore various mediums to expression through weekly art programs and visits to local art museums. Or, if art isn’t your thing, tailgate with us during the Super Bowl, await the Ground Hog’s prediction, our join in one of our festive celebrations on Valentine’s Day, Presidents Day or Mardi Gras.

Jean Pierre and Maria Barat's Journey: French Heritage With Katie Karp, DCR

Life is a journey; you really never know when you cross paths with someone who you will become friends with. I am at The Spearly Center where I am supposed to be no doubt about that. How often do you run in to someone who has the same heritage as you in work place? Well it is happening now at Spearly.

Having  the same French Heritage as Jean Pierre, I do believe this has contributed to Jean-Pierre's  success here at The Spearly Center .  I am very humbled and blessed by working with J.P. and his wife Maria.  The timing was perfect when Mr. Barat made a decision to transition to the Spearly Center from an Assisted Living community where he previously resided for several years. With the help of our wonderful Leadership Team, particularly J.P's social worker Tasha Alexander, and our information technology /first impression Manager  Marie Lopez  ,our NHA Sue Pappas and  the rest of our team, we were able to help Jean –Pierre get packed from his old home,  and get settled in to the Spearly community. 

Through out his transition, Mr. Barat's main focus was, and continues to be, taking care of  his wife Maria who has been residing here at  Spearly for almost two years. During this entire time, Mr. Barat came to visit Maria daily, often dining with her. J.P. enjoys being here at Spearly and enjoys speaking his native language (French) with the Community Relations Director whenever possible. The Spearly Center continues to nurture the spirit of life of those we serve.

Juniper Village at The Spearly Center: Our Clinical Outcomes Speak for Themselves

We want to be your partner of choice in the new shared savings environment. At Juniper Village at The Spearly Center, we have been collecting critical data for nearly 10 years. For example, we closely monitor residents to assure successful returns from either the hospital or rehabilitation setting.

Many re-hospitalizations are the result of falls. While unavoidable, response rate and injury rate contribute dramatically to unnecessary re-admissions.

Another common cause of both initial hospitalizations and re-hospitalizations is medication errors. Changes to medication regime whether after a scheduled physician appointment or emergency hospitalization can leave patients confused about what medications are most current. Our wellness team is responsible for medication reconciliation and management, a process which virtually eliminates medication errors.

Communication is key and Juniper Village at the Spearly Center takes communication to the next level through:

• Use of Electronic Health Records (Point Click Care)
• Optimized care transitions protocols
• Full implementation of INTERACT (Interventions to Reduce Acute Care Transfers)
• Use of a highly recognizable and consistent transfer information packet
• Focus on resident and care giver education and engagement
• Individualized care and service

Contact us today to see how we can assist you in managing your patient transitions.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE SPEARLY CENTER!

The New Year is the perfect time to welcome new beginnings.  Residents at The Spearly Center kicked off the New Year with a New Year’s Eve celebration, complete with festive music and tasty treats.  Residents and staff alike had a wonderful time!  New friends, improved health, and achieving goals are some of the things Spearly residents are looking forward to in 2015.  May the New Year bring joy, happiness and success in everything you do!  Happy New Year from The Spearly Center!

Denver Restaurants, Organizations Brighten the Lives of Residents at The Spearly Center

Every year, the residents at Juniper Village The Spearly Center look forward to receiving holiday gifts from several businesses and volunteer organizations within the community. Spearheading the effort this year were the Linger and Root Restaurants that purchased gifts for the individuals in need from lists provided by Juniper. This is the fourth year they have done this for the residents. The DRCOG – Denver Regional Council of Government also participated.

"It is so heartwarming to be part of a community that gives back to our residents in such a great way, for only joy as the reward," said Susan Pappas, Administrator of The Spearly Center. "The partnerships have been very successful." The leadership team wraps the gifts providing an opportunity for all the associates to share holiday stories while nurturing the spirit of life in their wonderful community.

 

Welcome New Beginnings: January Events

Welcome to 2015! What a wonderful time for us to reflect on the past year and forge ahead with new beginnings. January is a time for change when we make and sometimes break our New Year’s resolutions and focus on what we want to make better in the coming year.

January is also the month that Juniper Village begins our Winter Alive In All Seasons theme of Creative Expressions: “Explore Your Creativity” where in January we will focus on music! Research shows that music can help us physically by easing pain, helping us sleep better, eat less and enhance our blood vessel function. It is also suggested that music can help us mentally by reducing stress, relieving symptoms of depression, elevating mood, decreasing anxiety and improving cognitive performance. Hospitals are using music to help cancer patients manage stress and anxiety and to ease recovery in stroke patients.

Our fabulous activity offerings this month include our Long Live the King: Elvis Celebration where we welcome everyone to come sing along to your favorite tune as we stroll down memory lane remembering the Legend of Elvis who would be celebrating his 80th birthday this year with Elvis impersonator Don Garcia on January 8^th at 2:30 pm; our Disco Fever Dance Off reminiscing to the 70’s so feel free to wear your favorite ensemble that showcases your personality and let the disco lights be your guide to this “throwback jam” on January 15^th at 2:30 pm; or our Rockin’ with Rocky event as we host one of our favorite and most versatile entertainers playing a variety of songs including country, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and much more on January 29^th at 2:30 pm!

Look through our calendar and join us this month as we explore our creativity through music with outings to local musical performances, Elvis’ birthday celebrations and concerts by our Joyful Noise Choirs. We invite you to Welcome New Beginnings at Juniper Village and make a habit of joining us for activities and events throughout the year!