The Joy of Holiday Giving

Tis the season for caroling, twinkling holiday lights, family, and lots of sharing and giving. Here at Juniper Village in Louisville, the holidays have been in full swing especially these last couple of weeks. We have enjoyed a multitude of great foods from our wonderful chefs, even using old family recipes. One afternoon, we were surprised by a visit from a wonderful girl scouts troop, they were kind enough
to share the gift of music, singing carols and visiting with the residents. This Friday the 23rd, we surprised the residents with Secret Santa gifts, all were happy, some even overwhelmed by the
thoughtful gesture. Yes, we have had much to be grateful for around here. We hope the joy and peace we have felt here in Colorado has spread to all, thanks to everyone who made this season so special.
From all of us here at Juniper, we wish everyone safe and happy Holidays!

A Special Holiday Visit!

Well it's not everyday you get a personal visit from Santa, no one understands that better than all of us here at Juniper Village in Louisville, Colorado. Santa's schedule hit a bit of a snag this past week and he couldn't make it here for our scheduled Santa Claus photo-op, but he was kind enough to send us one of his close relatives

as a stand in. Mr. Claus's brother was a real delight to all of our residents and their families. Everyone enjoyed cookies, of course, as well as hot cider and cocoa while listening and singing along to our holiday tunes. Thanks again to all who could make it, especially Mr. Andrew Claus!

Halloween 2011 at Juniper Village in Louisville

On Monday October 31, 2011, Juniper Village in Louisville Colorado, celebrated the holiday of Halloween with a beautiful woodland creature theme. Our wonderful team/staff helped to decorate

t-shirts for every resident using orange tie-dye and other fun fabric paints. Our Residents were all very grateful for their Halloween shirts and wore them all through the party. With the staff dressed up in their favorite woodland costumes and residents in their pumpkin style t-shirts; there was just one thing missing, trick-or-treaters!  Luckily, the wonderful elementary school just across the street from us, sent a little over 500 students dressed in costume and ready for candy. The residents were all too ready to give out all of their candy to the trick-or-treaters and seemed to thoroughly enjoyed having them over for the celebration. We owe a big thanks to Monarch Elementary and sincerely hope the students enjoyed their interaction with the residents and staff. It was such an exciting event and we hope to continue the fun tradition every Halloween to come. Thanks again to all who could join us!

What's your favorite decade?

Another fun day of celebrating seniors, this Friday was our "Favorite Decade" themed party. We saw some fun side ponytails and bright colored spandex, crazy Hollywood style shades, and even beautiful
summer dresses from the 1920's complete with a garden party hat. As always, there were lots of snacks and beverages enjoyed outside. Residents and staff mingled and chatted it up while thinking back to the different decades. It was a great time, and another example of how we live to Nurture the Spirit of Life in our Residents.  Thanks again to all who joined!

Celebrating Assisted Living Week

On Monday, we kicked off Assisted Living week with a Carnival! Guests, residents and staff alike, dressed in our crazy pajamas and played games outside, in what turned out to be a beautiful day,

typical of Colorado weather. Everyone feasted on a BBQ style lunch with hot dogs, burgers, chicken and brats. Later, as the carnival continued, we snacked on popcorn and cotton candy to satisfy that sweet tooth. The residents enjoyed the many games available, but there was a special joy that came from watching the children who joined us
for this exciting day. Thanks to everyone who could attend, we had a great time!

 

K-9 Fun with the Loveland Police Department

July was an unusually hot month here in Colorado, but the residents here at Juniper Village were still able to enjoy this fun outdoor event. The Loveland police K-9 unit was kind enough to host a private police dog demonstration, just for Juniper Village. The police officers happily explained what the average day might look like for a police K-9 officer in training, and out in the field. The residents
loved seeing the dog performing tricks, especially when the officers brought in the protective attack suit. The residents laughed, and were in awe of the dog's accurate attack and swift movement, as it latched on to the actor in the suit. Thank you to the Loveland Police Department, it was a great day enjoyed by all of us!

Anniversary Party

This past Friday, Juniper Village here in Louisville, celebrated our 11th year anniversary in style with a Fiesta! There was an abundance of food from traditional tacos, chicken mole' and queso for dinner, to sopapillas and flan for dessert. Guests and residents could enjoy Mexican beers, margaritas, or a nice glass of wine. The courtyard was covered in colorful handmade banners and bouquets of wildflowers and roses, even the ladies had flowers in their hair. Last but not least, the party wouldn't have been complete without some tunes; the six piece mariachi band really hit the spot. We eventually had to bring the party in because of the rain, but that didn't stop the fun, we continued to celebrate inside with all of our amazing residents and families. Juniper is extremely grateful to all that made this event possible, especially to the wonderful families that joined us in our celebration. Thank you all, we look forward to many more years of celebration!

Fire and Police Department Recognition

The police and fire departments are such crucial, important components to our society, and without their brave dedication our society would not function as it does today. As recognition to their service, Juniper Village hosted a luncheon to thank the men and women who keep our community safe. The residents and members of the community had a wonderful time visiting and learning about the police and fire departments involvement in our community while enjoying a wonderful meal together. After lunch, the Louisville fire department kindly brought a fire truck to the building, and the residents got an
opportunity to see the truck up close and learn about its inner workings. Thank you again to the police and fire departments, our society would not be what it is today without you!

Blog on Bowling Outing

As a fun way to keep an active mind and body, our residents love to play the video game Wii bowling. The game is often played multiple times per week, and we have several residents who can make consecutive strikes in a row. With all that practice, it was time to go do the real thing, and so last Wednesday a group of residents put on their bowling shoes and headed to the bowling alley. We had so much fun laughing and visiting together as we bowled the afternoon away. While Wii bowling will continue to be popular in the halls of Juniper, actual bowling will definitely be an activity to repeat.

Bird houses

Earlier this month we were fortunate to have fifteen students from Escuela de Guadalupe come to our community to work on a craft project with our residents. Collectively, the students and residents decorated four wooden bird houses as well as several wooden birds that will soon be displayed in our community's courtyard. The residents had a wonderful time working alongside the students as they shared stories, sang songs, and worked on the project. After completing the craft, the students joined us for lunch in the backyard. Thank you to all the students from Escuela de Guadalupe! The bird houses look beautiful and really show all the hard work and creativity put into them.

Sock Hop Blog

This past Friday, Juniper Village went back in time to host an old fashion sock hop full of all the classics from the fifties, from poodle skirts and milk shakes to rock and roll music and cotton candy! We kicked off the night by enjoying hamburgers, hot dogs, and french fries in pink Cadillac themed plates. After the entrée, our residents and friends enjoyed homemade cotton candy from our cotton candy maker as well as hand made milk shakes as they prepared to dance the night away to a live performance of classics from the fifties. Finally,
everyone had a chance to dress up in attire fit for a sock hop and take a picture in front of a juke box! The night was great fun and truly enjoyed by all!  Please check out our video at:
SOCK HOP VIDEO LINK

Spring/Flowers

Spring is finally here, and we at Juniper couldn't be more excited!  The warmer weather means that our residents can finally enjoy our beautiful courtyard now that the snow is behind us. During the summer,
we love to have backyard barbeques, stroll along the paths, and sit under the gazebo and visit. To get our courtyard in tip-top shape, residents and staff pitched in to plant flowers and really make our
backyard look like home! Stop by some time to see all the hard work our residents put in to the garden!