Understanding
Senior Care

Sanity Check: Why Family Caregivers Need Respite Care

From our Care Blog

Caring for a parent, family members or loved one day in and day out can take its toll on the caregiver. It’s a tough job and sometimes caregivers need a sanity break and take time for themselves and to rejuvenate their own body, mind and soul. At FirstLight Home Care, we are caregivers and we know what caregivers go through. We support these family members and over the years we have found these 4 tips to be very helpful in keeping your sanity in check. 1. Have a Life: Yes caregiving can be a 24/7 job but you need to...

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A Travel Companion For Seniors Is Great!

From our Care Blog

Are you a senior who wants to go on vacation but not sure you can handle the trip? Don’t want to have to worry about carrying heavy bags and the hassle of getting through airport security? Or are you trying to attend your grandaughter’s graduation or visit a new grandbaby? These are important events you don’t want to miss! Don’t let your age or physical limitations hold you back, because we can help! FirstLight Home Care has the perfect solution with our Travel Companion program. Traveling can be daunting under the best circumstances, but for seniors, elderly, those with disabilities,...

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Aging Parents: Ask Nurse Gina

From our Care Blog

Wouldn’t it be great to have a resource to call upon when you have a question or a concern about the changes you are seeing in your parents as they get older? Well you do. Nurse Gina is our resident care leader. She is a professional geriatric care manager and RN who has been working with seniors for more than 35 years. She has provided individuals and their families with information and resources on conditions, senior care, home healthcare, mediation, restorative plans and move management. We turn to Nurse Gina for all of our parent-care questions. Her experience spans from...

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Depression and Aging

From our Care Blog

Depression is not a normal part of aging. However, older adults are at an increased risk for depression. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that 80% of older adults have a least one chronic health condition, and 50% have two or more. Depression is more common in people who have other illnesses or whose function becomes limited. It also increases in those who require home healthcare and older hospital patients. Unsure if a family member is suffering from depression? Here are some signs from CDC that might help you confirm your concerns: Signs of Depression Feelings...

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Respite Care: Caring For The Caregiver

From our Care Blog

If you are the primary caregiver in your family, then you’ll be able to relate to this blog post. It can be exhausting to care for an aging parent or a family member 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You are going to need a break -- a time to regroup and re-energize yourself. You may not want to admit exhaustion and although taking a break isn’t on the schedule, but here are some ways you can help care for the caregiver: Take the person in care away: If the person in care can still travel, offer to...

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Make Every Day a fabulous Father’s Day

From our Care Blog

Father’s Day 2014 may be over but can’t we keep it alive each and every day. While searching the web for smart men talking about being a great day, we found Carey Casey, CEO of the National Center for Fathering. We’re now big fans. Mr. Casey wrote the following blog earlier this month and we thought it was worthy to share because he was spot on. The National Center for Fathering has a father-training program that looks very rewarding and his ideas for how to make every day like Father’s Day. His tips are simple and easy for all of...

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Dementia: Couples and Money

From our Care Blog

Alzheimer’s is a debilitating illness that afflicts millions of Americans. As the population of seniors continues to grow, so too will the numbers of people with one of the seven types of dementia.  According to the Alzheimer’s Association, an estimated 5.2 million American currently have the illness, which is 11% of people ages 65 and older.  There is an additional 200,000 people who have younger-onset dementia. The numbers get scarier as the age increases. One third of the population ages 85 and older have Alzheimer’s disease. There are many facets of the illness families have to cope with, but here...

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FirstLight Home Care Prevents Caregiver Burnout

From our Care Blog

If you are a family caregiver for a loved one, you know it can take an emotional, financial and physical toll on your own well being. Chances are you have a job, a family of your own, and are trying to juggle it all. You become your last priority. The end result? Caregiver burnout and exhaustion. Don’t people realize you are only one person and you can only accomplish so much? No. What Are Some Symptoms of Caregiver Burnout? Although caring for a loved one can be rewarding, it can also be extremely stressful. You may not see any light...

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Seniors and Alzheimer's

From our Care Blog

Improving Quality of Life for Seniors with Alzheimer’s Alzheimer’s is a particularly cruel disease, as it wipes away a human’s personality one day at a time until they become unrecognizable to us. And though it happens relatively frequently in seniors, almost to the point of expecting it, it still isn’t any easier to both cope or live with. How Alzheimer’s Starts Progresses, and Ends Over 100 years ago, in 1906, the disease now known as Alzheimer’s was first discussed by Alois Alzheimer. And today, a century after it was first described, almost 30 million people worldwide suffer from it, with the...

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Plan Ahead With Advanced Directives

From our Care Blog

None of us can predict when we are going to be suddenly incapacitated. You’re driving down the road, minding your own business and bam! Before you know it, you are in a car accident! Or maybe you find yourself in an unexpected coma. Although we hope it never happens, you have to be prepared. You want to be in control of your own healthcare options if you are too ill to express your own wishes. Advanced directives are legal documents that allow you to express your end-of-life wishes should the situation arise. In most states, these consist of two documents:...

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