PSU Nursing

Holly Parrish and Jill Arnoso both have mothers who are nurses, and were inspired at a young age to follow in their professional footsteps.  Now as sophomore nursing students at Penn State, they both find themselves at Juniper Village Rehabilitation and Skilled Care at Brookline, where they are working on their first clinical rotation. Parrish and Arnoso came to JVB as part of the “Fundamentals of Nursing” course taught by  Mary Anne Ventura and Cindy Sullivan. This spring semester (January through April) nine groups of student nurses—around 70 total—are participating. Parrish says that rotation is a lot different than she expected, adding that it comes much more naturally than she had anticipated. Arnoso likes that she is learning so many new things, sharing, “this doesn’t even feel like a class!”

You Gotta Have Heart!

February is American Heart Month, and Janie Provan and Anissa Rupert Ilie from Juniper Village at Brookline are pleased to be serving on the Executive Leadership Committee for the Central PA chapter of the American Heart Association’s 2015 Heart Walk, set for Sunday, September 27, 2015 at Millbrook Marsh in State College.

The Heart Walk exists to make healthier, longer lives possible for everyone, by raising funds to help reduce cardiovascular diseases and strokes. To join or support Team Juniper Village at Brookline, or for more information on the walk visit our team page HERE.

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 Print Making with Annie Swincinski, a Local Artist/ Arts Fest Winner, who will demonstrate the printmaking process and showcase some of her creations as she uses her art as a therapeutic outlet to express her emotions and facilitate her personal transformations on February 2^nd at 2:00 pm (1950 Cliffside Drive Rehab and Skilled Care); our Paint Your Art Out Wine and Chocolate Event extending a special invitation to those in our community who help us to help others including those who work in the fields of senior living and healthcare to join us and local artist Susan Robb for a fun-filled evening as we sip Seven Mountains Wine Cellars wine and sample some delectable chocolate creations while you paint your own wine glass to take home as a reminder of how much we appreciate all you do on February 16^th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm (1900 Cliffside Drive Willows Senior Living Dining Room); or our Resident and Local Artisan Art Gallery Shop and Tour where the works of our residents will hang for display and admiration and there will be works from several local artists available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds to provide school art supplies for area youth during an evening of celebration and socializing with refreshments on February 26^th at 3:30 pm (1950 Cliffside Drive Rehab and Skilled Care).

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.