Memorial Day

Here at The Spearly Center on May 25, 2015 we celebrated Memorial Day with a BBQ that the Residents enjoyed. The Residents gathered on the Outdoor Patio for some great BBQ favorites as well as live musical entertainment with Dave. The day was good with nice sunny weather!

June 2015 Events in Denver, CO: Live in Wellness

We close this quarter’s theme of Healthy Aging: “Let Wellbeing Thrive” with a focus on Food, as we Live in Wellness through our June 2015 events in Denver, CO at Juniper Village at The Spearly Center. Hippocrates advises, “Let food be thy medicine”. Research shows that eating a well-planned, balanced mix of foods every day has many health benefits such as reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, bone loss, some kinds of cancer, and anemia. But, food has other benefits. There are also emotional needs that are satisfied by food. Most of us have fond memories of food from days gone by. Whether it was our mom's homemade chocolate chip cookies, a hotdog from a street vendor or our wedding cake, food has a way of transporting us back to the past. It is in that spirit that Juniper’s dining program is called the H’art and Soul of Dining. The philosophy is that we impart spirited service, companionship and nourishment through the sharing of good food. In addition to meeting our resident’s unique nutritional needs, we also meet their emotional and social needs as well.

Join us for our June 2015 events in Denver, CO at Juniper Village at The Spearly Center to share in our hydration program, complete with healthy snacks and learn more about healthy food and wellness with our dietitian presentations as we continue to Live in Wellness.

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

§  Tea & Me: A Tea Bar Social because the Spearly family has partnered with our friendly neighbors to host this warm-hearted event, so Friends, family and the surrounding neighbors are cordially invited to a special tea social to listen to live music and sample teas from around the world on June 11^th from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm.

§  Father’s Day BBQ: Summer Solstice as the Spearly family would like to honor and pay tribute to all fathers on this wonderful holiday, so friends and family are invited to this festive gathering on our lovely Juniper patio, with a special invitation extended to our first responders for a quick bite on the go, as music will be provided by Dave Hidalgo, so we hope you can join us on June 19^th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.

§  Spearly Iron Chef Challenge because Spearly loves a friendly competition, so it’s that time again for the secret ingredient challenge, as family and friends are invited to this exciting cook-off which will be hosted on our sunny Juniper patio, and our guest judges will vote for the best culinary creations while our residents enjoy the selections with music and entertainment provided by Dan Mc Clerran on June 25^th from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm.

We hope to see you at one or more of our June 2015 events in Denver, CO at Juniper Village at The Spearly Center!

Team Spearly at the 2015 NAMI Walk

Every year, residents, staff and family members participate in the National Alliance on Mental Illness Walk, or NAMI Walk.  This event is for fundraising and creating support and awareness about mental illness.  Team Spearly was large this year with 20 participants!  The weather was perfect, the crowd was festive, and there were plenty of organizations with booths with information on services, support groups, and snacks.  Live music really got the walkers excited to be a part of this supportive event.  A great time was had by all who attended, and Team Spearly cannot wait until next year’s NAMI Walk.  

2015 Juniper Leadership Conference Awards

Juniper celebrated its 27^th anniversary this year.  Each year communities are honored for their achievements in critical operational and financial areas.

Awards were presented at the 2015 Juniper Leadership Conference, held this year in Baltimore’s historic inner harbor.  Awards were presented by Lynne Katzmann, founder and CEO of Juniper Communities, and Diane Byrne, Vice President of Program, Development, Training & Operational Oversight.

At the recent Juniper leadership conference, Juniper Village at the Spearly Center was presented the Juniper Innovation Award in recognition of implementation of Connect4Life in 2014.

May 2015 Events in Denver, CO: Grow Strong Daily

Fitness is on our mind during our May 2015 events in Denver, CO at Juniper Village at The Spearly Center with our Alive In All Seasons theme “Grow Strong Daily”. As you know, physical activity is good for you both physically and mentally. Regular physical activity can help you to continue to do the things you love and stay independent as you age. Exercise can reduce the risk of developing some diseases and reduce symptoms of some chronic conditions such as arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and balance issues.

But, if exercise has not been a part of your daily routine how do you take that first step? Start by making it fun! Turn a walk around the block into a scavenger hunt – search for daffodils, birds, squirrels or lucky pennies. Instead of a dip in the pool, create an adventure as you pretend to swim with the dolphins. Rather than send your co-worker an email, walk to her office and communicate face to face, double the benefit with a smile! What’s important is to make it fun and just start – today!

Join us for our May 2015 events in Denver, CO at Juniper Village at The Spearly Center as we will Grow Strong Daily with Fitness Five, and walk “cross country” with our Route 66 Walking Program and learn more about keeping our hearts fit at our Healthy Heart Luncheon. We look forward to sharing these and many other activities with you this month. Peruse this month’s calendar, and we will see you soon!

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

§  Grow Strong Daily Fitness Fair because maintaining a healthy lifestyle for every resident is the goal of the Spearly community prizes can be won as residents take part in group and individual exercises, healthy body trivia, and other events and we welcome our friends, first responders and neighbors from the community to this fun and educational event on our sunny Juniper patio on May 8^th from 10:00 am to noon.

§  National Alliance for Mental Illness Walk held in Centennial, Colorado is a wonderful opportunity to show your support for mental illness while enjoying a nice leisurely walk and Team Spearly will have a booth to showcase our wonderful community and the residents we serve while networking with our Partners in Health Care with light refreshments served after the walk on May 16^th from 9:00 am to 11:00 am.

§  Memorial Day BBQ: Remembering Our Heroes and we would like to invite family and friends to share this memorable occasion, as we remember our men and women who have served in the Armed Forces with entertainment provided by Dave Hidalgo on our sunny Juniper patio and a variety of grilled favorites served on May 25^th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.

We hope to see you at one or more of our May 2015 events in Denver, CO at Juniper Village at The Spearly Center!

Have You Ever Wondered How Spearly Got It's Name? It's Simply Remarkable...

Juniper Village-The Spearly Center was named for James Luther Spearly a very special individual who truly nurtured the spirits of our residents, staff and the community at large.  Jim, died prematurely of brain cancer at the age of 44 on September 28,1994.  In his short life though he left a remarkable legacy.

Jim was both brilliant and humble with tremendous knowledge of public policy, particularly around mental health issues. Jim received his doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin where he published a number of noted articles about community mental health as well as child abuse and neglect. Jim also received his law degree from the University of Texas.  After completing his studies, Jim served as legislative counsel for the Texas Senate where he rewrote the Texas Mental Health Code transforming as outdated code into one of the most progressive in the nation.  He moved to Colorado and became the Administrative Vice President for Naropa University in Boulder.  While there he co-founded Naropa’s Department of Gerontology and Long-term Care Management. He served as Co-Director of Naropa’s Gerontology Department until his death.

During that time, Dr. Spearly worked with Juniper Communities and Pinon Management to develop and implement exceptionally strong psycho-social programming at what was then known as Hillside Care Center. As part of his work at the community, Jim introduced interdisciplinary teams that equally focused on psycho-social as well as medical care. The transformation in the lives of the residents and staff was as dramatic as in any long term care community today that embraces the culture change movement.

We all live in the midst of Jim Spearly’s legacy today at Juniper Village-The Spearly Center.  We are unique individuals who are celebrated for who we are and for the beautiful fabric of a community we weave together, nurturing the spirit of life!

~Sue Pappas, NHA

The Spearly Center

Spearly Volunteers In Action

Volunteering  for an organization like The Spearly Center provides reciprocal opportunities for both residents and volunteers alike.  Spearly has a group of young volunteers that visit weekly; Dulce, Miguel, Amanda, Bianca, Dalia, Jasmine, and Sofie.  Residents truly look forward to these visits and enjoy socializing, playing games, singing along to music, and doing arts & crafts projects with them.  Volunteers benefit our residents by providing meaningful  companionships, self worth, and opportunities to meet new people.  Additionally, our volunteers receive benefits from this experience as well.  Relationship building, learning the Life Story of an older adult, and self efficacy are all experienced by our devoted volunteers.  Here at The Spearly Center, our residents truly appreciate our volunteers, and our volunteers truly appreciate our residents.

“I enjoy their visits every weekend.  I think they’re special.”

  Grace, Spearly Resident

“Seeing their smiles every Saturday morning makes it all worth it”

  Dulce, Spearly Volunteer  

“I like it when we have a big group playing cards… that’s a lot of fun!”

  Kenya, Spearly Resident   

“At the end of the day all that matters is having fun and everyone coming together as one.”

  Miguel, Spearly Volunteer