Sweet Sound of the Symphony

In January we celebrate music, and its sweet sound was in the air this week at the Mount Nittany Middle School in State College. The school’s auditorium was host to the Nittany Valley Symphony’s “Remarkable Kids” Family Concert, and more than a dozen Juniper Village residents took in an amazing performance. Scores included whimsical works by Rossini, Mozart and Mendelssohn. Best of all the concert introduced 17-year-old State College Area High School senior Raina Arnett as the featured violinist.

Juniper Village at Brookline is a big supporter of many area cultural organizations. Check out that back cover program ad!

Doing For Others...

Civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. once said that, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” There is no doubt that some very special Penn State University students were doing for others (and doing good) on Monday as they took to performing a variety of outreach projects around the University Park campus and the region as part of their annual celebration of Dr. King’s birthday. Six of those students made it their mission to visit with, and brighten the day of some residents of Juniper Village Rehabilitation and Skilled Care at Brookline.

On a day off from classes, student volunteers joined forces with our Connections department for parachute exercise, one-on-one resident visits, and even took in some scrapbooking. Citing King’s famous 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech, PSU senior Elizabeth Peter told the Centre Daily Times, “We are a family. We are Penn State. We are the dream.”

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 Harp Therapy as part of New Year, New You Day of Wellness with  the heavenly sounds of Certified Harp Therapist Ellen Slingerland who showcases how her music can have a soothing and comforting effect on listeners in the Second Floor Dining Room at Brookline Rehabilitation and Skilled Care (1950 Cliffside Drive) on January 5^th from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm; our ReMarkable Music with Grace Between Us to dazzle and inspire you with traditional hymns that are sure to impress in the Gathering Room at Wellspring (610 Whitehall Drive) on January 12^th from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm; our Winter Warm-Up Happy Hour with JT Thompson  for an evening of drinks and hot tunes by this Bellefonte native who is  a regular on the State College music scene in the Pines Piano Lounge at Brookline Senior Living (1940 Cliffside Drive) on January 14^th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm; our Alive Inside Screening of the inspirational and emotional film dramatically portraying the power of music and memory that left the audience humming and cheering at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Audience Award in the Willows Dining Room (1900 Cliffside Drive) on January 22^nd from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm; or our Virtual Dementia Tour and Create Your Playlist Event an interactive, experiential journey into the realities of dementia that allows you to “walk in the shoes” of your loved one, enabling you to better understand their needs and behaviors, at the end of which you can create your own personalized music playlist and participate in an iPod and MP3 player donation drive for musical tools to utilize throughout the community in the First Floor Lobby at Brookline Rehabilitation and Skilled Care (1950 Cliffside Drive) on January 28^th from 2:00 pm to 5:30 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!