Alzheimer’s and
Memory Loss

FirstLight Home Care Takes Care of Dads – Even If They Are Cranky!

From our Care Blog

My Dad is cranky. Okay, if I’m going to tell the truth, he has moments where he is downright mean. He gets easily agitated and has times of lucidity coupled with flashes where he doesn’t even know my name. It is frustrating, heartbreaking and exhausting, not only for myself – the adult daughter -- but my whole family as well. But it must be worse for him. Thirteen years ago, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and it turned his life and our lives upside down. Six years ago, right before my Mom died, I promised her I would never put...

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Care Giving Tips For An Only Child

From our Care Blog

If you are an only child caring for elderly parents, you know it can be a handful.  In this case. you may feel the stresses of care giving are all on you. It may even start to define your livelihood.  As much as you love your parents and know they deserve the best care possible, it is okay, and will be better for all, if you continue to have a life too and feel comfortable delegating others to help.  Here are a few tips to consider. Don’t be afraid to ask other relatives for help. Many times, other family members and friends are ready...

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Senior Citizen Scams

From our Care Blog

No one is immune to scams, but it seems the elderly are particularly targeted. My Dad  was a very savvy 75-year-old accountant. His mind was extremely sharp before he passed away, but his financial judgments were slightly slipping. He was extremely charitable, donating to many causes – he was always taken in by sad stories. Therefore, I was not surprised when he told me he had “adopted a family” in Nigeria. Every month he sent them a set amount, but then the disasters started and they needed more money for hospital and medical bills. How could he not help a...

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How to Deal With the Stress of Aging Parents

From our Care Blog

Each day, millions of Americans deal with the task of caring for their aging parents.  If you are a child of an aging parent that requires care, you already know how stressful this situation can be.  The stress of financial burdens, time constraints, and lack of help can all build up to the point where you can no longer perform your responsibilities to the best of your abilities.  Worse yet, your personal and family life will suffer as well.  Whether your parents are of good health or no longer able to live on their own, you must find healthy ways to...

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Five Tips To Effectively Communicate With Seniors

From our Care Blog

In his book How to Say It to Seniors, author David Solie, who specializes in geriatric issues, describes the developmental tasks that the elderly face, and explains how these “tasks shape their behavior -- whether they're aware of it or not”. Solie describes the “crises of the elderly as a conflict between control and legacy issues. And while he writes in universal terms, it's important to remember that every individual is different, and each person's experience of aging will have a lot to do with personal and environmental factors, as well as developmental ones.” While communication is extremely important with your parents, it can also...

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How to be the Best Long-Distance Caregiver

From our Care Blog

Caring for loved ones from far away isn’t always an easy task. Many times, they need stay-at-home care that can’t be given from miles away. Sometimes you can feel helpless not being able to provide personal home care for those in your life who need it the most. Know that these feelings are valid, and you are not alone. In fact, there are about 7 million Americans providing long-distance home care to their loved ones. Like you, they are in charge of arranging doctor appointments, coordinating all the healthcare and insurance, working full time and taking care of their own families....

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Three Early Signs of Dementia

From our Care Blog

So, it’s a Saturday and you have just taken your mom out for a nice lunch.  Your elderly mom however cannot remember where she put her checkbook.  And, she tripped a couple times as you brought her back to her house.  You also noticed that she seemed distant at lunch, and you caught her staring off into nowhere several times. None of these things should be a cause for alarm, right?  Geez, even I misplace my car keys about once a day.  However, as our parents and loved ones age, the occurrence of these events could be early signs of...

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Keeping A Thankful Journal

From our Care Blog

It is an annual tradition in our family to go around the Thanksgiving table and have everyone express one thing they are thankful for. One of my favorites is when my nephew said he was thankful he didn’t have to clean up the mess! But too soon, Thanksgiving is behind us, the stomach ache from eating too much turkey is long gone and the rat race begins anew. We get caught up in the stress, the negative feelings the holidays can elicit and we forget about all the good things. For instance, this is my first holiday season without my...

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Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

From our Care Blog

November is National Diabetes Month and FirstLight Home Care would like to bring your attention to an illness that impacts millions of Americans every day. According to the National Diabetes Association: Nearly 26 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes. Another 79 million Americans have pre-diabetes and are at risk for developing type 2  diabetes. The statistic that is most startling is: Recent estimates project that as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes in 2050 unless we take steps to Stop Diabetes. Although Type 1 diabetes is not preventable, Type 2 diabetes is....

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Alternatives to the Traditional Funeral

From our Care Blog

Guest blogger: Julie Grannan My mom passed away on August 2, 1997.  Only 54 years old, she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a short six months prior.  Being “younger” I don’t believe that she and my dad had really discussed their funeral/burial preferences.  But when terminal illness comes knocking on your door, this often times awkward conversation has to be had. I was 18 years old at the time, and I remember being quite surprised and unsettled in my emotions when I heard that my mom wished to be cremated.  However, over time and definitely as I fully entered...

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