Caregiver
Resources
50 Ways Home Care Can Support Family Caregivers
For so many family caregivers, the story is familiar. “I don’t know where to turn for help.” Or, “I’m exhausted. I don’t think I can do this on my own anymore.” Or, “There has to be a better way to care for my loved one.” These are the words of...
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A Helpful Dozen: 12 Online Resources for Family Caregivers
A recent report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine concluded that there’s more to caring for the older adult population than services and support for aging individuals. An equally urgent need is resources for the family caregiver who is so integral to their care. The report found...
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Caring Is Our Calling: What It Means To Be a Caregiver
“Going the extra mile for somebody, you can’t teach that. It has to be inside you already.” DeShawn Joiner, FirstLight Home Care 2016 Caregiver of the Year November is an important and treasured month for FirstLight Home Care. Each year, we observe National Home Care Month, as well as National...
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Travel tips for adults with special needs
We’re in the dog days of summer, and while school starts soon in some locations, others plan to vacation in August due to lower rates at certain resorts and locales. In any case, traveling is a challenge whether you or your loved ones have physical, mental or other special needs....
Benefits of Walking: Walk Your Way To a Better You
I have long ago passed the point in my life where I can jog. Two ACL surgeries have left my arthritic knees unable to take the impact. I don’t live anywhere near a swimming pool and I am too hyperactive to do yoga. Spin classes give me a headache just...
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Family: Traveling with your Aging Parents
Summer travel is in full swing. If you are like any families across the United States, your traveling and your trip mate might include traveling with a senior. They may not be as mobile without a wheelchair, or they may have a specific health condition such as Alzheimer’s disease or...
Family Discussion: Long Distance Caregiving
Caregiving from a distance is no easy task. It can be stressful because you can’t be there at a moment’s notice when your parents need you. To help reduce some of the stress and to help you organize the process for care when your loved ones do not live near...
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How Dogs Can Positively Impact The Elderly
When my Mom turned 60-years-old, I asked her what she wanted for this special birthday. I figured maybe she would want a trip or have all the kids and grandkids fly home. Her answer floored me: a dog. My Mom and Dad had dogs when they were children, but I...
Guilt, I’m discovering, is a huge part of this aging thing. Our parent feels guilt for putting us out, frets about being a burden, worries about picking up the phone to ask for help. We the adult children question our decisions, second-guess our actions, and feel guilt for all we...
Opening The Conversation on Care
Molly Rowe owns FirstLight Home Care of Salem, MA with her husband, Steve, and lives in Swampscott with their two sons. A few weeks ago, I wrote about our regrets related to my father-in-law in the last few years of his life. Since then, I’ve heard many stories from people...