Brookline Assisted Living Facility Welcomes New Leadership, Initiatives

by Michael Martin Garrett

Angeline Hunter, 91, has lived through many changes in her life. 

She’s seen State College and Penn State grow since she moved to the area in 1943, and after her husband’s death in 2008, she watched the evolution of the well-established Brookline Village retirement community.

Since moving to Brookline in early 2013, there's been one more change she’s had to adjust to: Brookline’s acquisition by the national assisted living organization Juniper Village.

Sitting outside on Tuesday among Brookline’s handsome buildings and greenery - surrounded by friends, family and fellow residents - Hunter listened to Juniper CEO Lynne Katzmann lay her out her vision for the newly christened Juniper Village at Brookline facility at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“You all have welcomed us with warmth, generosity and open hearts and minds,” Katzmann said. “Thank you for letting us be a part of this community.”

Katzmann said Juniper Village had been aware of Brookline’s “legacy of excellence” before it ever acquired the facility. Though Juniper has a lot to live up to, she’s sure that the Brookline team and residents will be able to work together to continuing improving the lives of State College’s senior citizens.

She said some of Juniper’s priorities are keeping things exactly the same: many of the staff from before the acquisition are still at Brookline, and Katzmann has no plans to disturb the facility’s beautiful campus.

But, perhaps more importantly, she looks forward to bringing new activities and initiatives to Brookline. Katzmann says Juniper Communities was “green long before it was fashionable,” which continues to this day with a focus on recycling and environmentally friendly cleaning products.

Recently certified by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America as maintaining the rare distinction of “excellence in care” at its facilities, Katzmann says Juniper Communities is excited to increase the quality of care of Alzheimer’s and dementia patients...

Anissa Ilie, director of community relations with Juniper Village at Brookline, says another major change will be updating all medical records to a digital format, which will make record-keeping and caregiving more efficient. 

Another focus of the change in leadership was to “hit the ground running” and interfere with the resident’s daily lives as little as possible during the transitionary months, Ilie says...

Read Michael's full article on StateCollege.com.

Juniper Village at Brookline Participant in Benchmark Study on Dementia and Delirium

Juniper Village at Brookline is continuing its participation in a major study on dementia and delirium out of the College of Nursing at Penn State University.  The study is called Reserve for Delirium Superimposed on Dementia and Brookline has been an active participant in the study since its inception in 2010.  This September, a presentation was made at Juniper covering the research results to date on the general evaluation and management of delirium.

The purpose of the RESERVE DSD study is to test the efficacy of cognitive stimulation for resolving delirium in persons with dementia subsequent to a hospitalization. The research is testing a non-pharmacological intervention for delirium in the form of recreational activities. The ongoing, five-year clinical trial will conclude in 2015. Dr. Ann Kolanowski, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN and Dr. Donna Fick, PhD, GCNS-BC FGSA, FAAN received a grant to conduct the research from the National Institute of Nursing Research in the amount of $2,405,344.

“Juniper Village is pleased to provide support for this very important research whose eventual findings will benefit our residents by allowing us to better identify those suffering from delirium. The findings will then help us to best treat those residents, enriching their daily quality of care,” explained Janice Whitaker, RN, BSN, NCSN, M.Ed., Juniper Village Rehabilitation and Skilled Care at Brookline Wellness Director.

Currently, 35 residents of Juniper Village at Brookline have participated. At the time of a resident’s move into Juniper’s rehabilitation and skilled care community, residents who seem a good fit for the study, are referred as potential candidates. If the resident – including family members who might be the decision maker – decide to participate, release forms are completed and forwarded to the College of Nursing. They then contact the resident and or family member, and enter them into the study. Student nurses engage with these residents and track their progress throughout their stay.

“Juniper Communities has been committed to innovative dementia care for more than a decade.  We are so proud that our programs have been nationally recognized but more pleased that we have positively impacted the lives of those we serve and their families,” stated Lynne S. Katzmann, Ph.D., President and Founder of Juniper Communities.

Check out local news video for more on this story.

Show Your Colors: October Events

October brings forth vibrant color in our foliage as well as our sports teams. Our high school football teams will be in full swing and hockey season will prepare to fill the stands with team colors and spirit. Juniper Communities will also be honoring our colors with many sports-themed activities and events. We will be enjoying the changing colors of the season as we transition from summer to fall and the crazy costumes of our annual Halloween celebrations.

While showing our colors we not only focus on our team colors, but also showing our true colors. We recognize that working together as a team, results in better coordination of care, better quality of care and as a result better lives for our residents. This is evidenced by our excellent clinical outcomes data. We are happy to see the results of collaboration resulting in decreased re-hospitalizations and better quality of life for our residents.

Our fabulous activity offerings this month include our Community Celebration Open House and Ribbon Cutting to warmly welcome us as the newest member in the Juniper Communities’ family Juniper Village at Brookline providing senior living, rehab/skilled nursing, and memory care with our uniquely successful programs and activities on October 14^th from 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm; our Fall Festival and Walk to End Alzheimer’s Fundraiser sponsored by Juniper Wellspring Memory Care at Brookline and Harner Farm featuring fun and fellowship benefiting the Alzheimer’s Association on October 19^th at noon; or our Halloween Open House and Safe Trick-or-Treating where ghosts, goblins, and ghouls will have a fun-filled time trick-or-treating across our campus so join in on the fun as we will be celebrating in our costumes and passing out tasty treats on October 29^th at 5:30 pm!

Please look through our calendar to celebrate the spirit of autumn with us and Show Your Colors!

Spread Your Joy: September Events

September signifies the end of summer with Labor Day celebrations and the Autumnal Equinox on the 23^rd. In this last month of our “Stay Connected” series we aspire to connect with our friends and embrace the theme of Spread Your Joy.

The Mayo Clinic tells us that friends are good for your health. They can help you celebrate good times, provide support during bad times, prevent loneliness and give you a chance to offer needed companionship, too. Friends increase your sense of belonging and purpose, boost happiness, reduce stress, and improve your self-confidence and self-worth. Friends can also encourage you to increase healthy habits – it’s always better to walk, run, swim or exercise with a friend. And friends don’t always have to be of the human kind either! Several studies have shown that heart attack patients who have pets survive longer than those without.

Our fabulous activity offerings this month include our Alzheimer’s Informational Seminar discussing what you may want to know about delirium on September 8^th at 6:30 pm; our Garrison Keillor Storytelling event featuring the best from the host of A Prairie Home Companion on September 21^st at 6:30 pm; or our Juniper Village Float in the Penn State Homecoming Parade showcasing our signature programs and unique approach to aging on September 26^th at 5:00 pm.

Please look through our calendar and join us for any events that can help you stay connected, cultivate friendships and Spread Your Joy!

Taking the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to a Whole New Level!!

On August 29th, Juniper Village at Brookline took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to a whole new level with a REALLY big bucket!  Note, that we challenged the home office team. They will have to think of something good for when they are all together!  But, I am not sure there's any way to top this. 

Mount Nittany Medical Center’s 24th Annual Golf Classic

Associates from Juniper Village at Brookline were out in full force at the Mount Nittany Medical Center’s 24^th Annual Golf Classic on Saturday,  August 16, in State College. Juniper Village sponsored the “Closet to the Pin” contest and awarded cash prizes and Juniper goodies to three lucky golfers during the event’s awards dinner. The outing, which raises funds for the area’s premier hospital, brought in over $143,000 this year, which will go towards the construction of the facility’s “Healing Garden”, to be located contiguous to the hospital’s cancer pavilion and accessible via the main lobby of the Medical Center, and provide stress relief for patients, families and physicians and staff, while offering a quiet and beautiful space for the community, as well. Construction is scheduled to begin later this year.

Breathe in Life: August Events

Our Alive in All Seasons’ theme for August is The Environment. Our communities will focus their efforts on maintaining healthy environments through environmentally conscious activities. Our “Green Canopy” program emphasizes designing and operating buildings that meet new standards of environmental sustainability. We are proud to be the first long-term care company with a building in the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

According to research by Go Green, Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour; 25 billion Styrofoam cups and 40 billion soft drink bottles and cans each year. Eighty-four percent of the average American’s household trash can be recycled. If we recycled just 1/10 of our newspapers 25 million trees could be saved. Are we all doing our part?

Join us this month as we learn more about the environment, expand our wide-scale recycling program, learn more about environmental sustainability programs and work with our community Green Teams to promote our “Green Canopy” initiative. We encourage you to accompany us on this environmental journey so that we can all continue to Breathe in Life!