Firstlight Resources

Fighting holiday stress – a caregiver’s guide

From our Care Blog

We all know the feeling; the anxiety that creeps around in November and builds up as the year end approaches. If you’re a family caregiver, you know this stress all too well. Holiday parties, events, shopping and vacation planning are all top of mind for many people but for family caregivers, the added stress of making sure elderly friends and family are provided for can compound and intensify these feelings. It’s a well known fact that caregiver stress, if not managed, takes a heavy toll on a person’s mental and physical health. Added to the stress that naturally arises around...

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FirstLight welcomes industry veterans to corporate team

From our Care Blog

Here at FirstLight, we are pleased to announce the addition of Shirley Weber and Dan Roberts to our corporate team as directors of business development and team support. Shirley comes to us with over 13 years of experience in the home care industry, having been a partner in and operated Houston’s largest and most successful senior home care company for eight years, with five additional years spent running her own successful home care consultant practice, working with independents and franchise systems alike with a solid track record of success. Based out of Houston, Texas, Weber will support FirstLight franchisees in...

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The "Shock and Awe" of a cancer diagnosis

From our Care Blog

Today we have another great post from our guest blogger Joni Aldrich, author, speaker and radio show host. Happy Thanksgiving! So much to be thankful for this year. When the word “cancer” is used in a sentence that’s associated with someone you love, it becomes surreal and bizarre. However—now more than ever—you can’t allow that to skew the important decisions ahead. Until it hits home, when you hear of people with cancer, you think, “How awful.” In the back of your mind, you say a silent prayer: “Please, God, don’t ever let that happen to me or my family.” We...

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Holiday Blessings – Health of Our Loved Ones

From our Care Blog

Holidays throughout the year are filled with excitement and joy. Most families look forward to holiday seasons as a time to gather family together, celebrate and look forward to another year. The holidays bring a time for thankfulness, tradition, reflection and hope. Traditions bring fond memories; although for families experiencing issues that come with aging family members such as complex medical conditions or dementia the holidays may mean rising concerns with new challenges. Many of us who live a long distance from parents and are in the "sandwich generation" are at an age where we may still be working, have...

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Veteran’s Day and corduroy lovers

From our Care Blog

I read a peculiar story on The Wall Street Journal’s website this morning. Apparently, today is not only a day of honor and remembrance for the 24.9 million military veterans in the U.S., but it’s also a big day for corduroy lovers. Yes, the material. The ribbed textile lovers make up the 5,000 members of the Corduroy Appreciation Club and for them, no day gets better than today—11.11.11—which clearly symbolizes the vertical lines of the beloved fabric. If corduroy isn’t your thing, you can still honor our nation’s veterans and active duty service members, for the protection they provide is...

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Identifying family caregivers

From our Care Blog

National Family Caregivers Month started out as a weeklong celebration during the Thanksgiving holiday and has grown to encompass the entire month of November while gaining a following nationwide. National Family Caregivers Month was created as a time to thank, support, educate and empower family caregivers, an ever-growing role as our nation’s elderly population ages. With over 65 million family caregivers in the United States, it’s a topic that many people are personally affected by. According to the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) President and CEO Suzanne Mintz, the ongoing theme for this year’s message is Identifying Family Caregivers. This...

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Gift certificates for caregiving services? Get ‘em here!

From our Care Blog

Anyone who’s experienced first-hand the rewards and challenges of caring for an elderly loved one can attest to how stressful it can be, especially if you can’t take time off for yourself.  This week we launched FirstLight Home Care Instant Gift Certificate – an online program that allows you to purchase gift certificates for our professional caregiving services through a secure website. With the holidays around the corner, this is a great gift for anyone looking for respite care, or people who want to test out our services. Call or visit your nearest location today to find out details.

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Defining your resources in a crisis

From our Care Blog

Guest blogger Joni Aldrich addresses the importance of being able to ask for help when you need it. Here are her tips on how to ask for and accept help and on how to identify who is best for each situation.   As you go through any type of life crisis, you may need support from people who care. As you seek help, consider it a delegation process—not a burden. Many of us are too proud to ask for help from others, even if we realize that people care and want to offer support. Get past that, and accept help...

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“I don’t believe you just said that!” 7 statements to question in your cancer fight

From our Care Blog

Today we bring you another guest post from Joni Aldrich, renowned author and speaker. The expression “sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can never harm me” is not true. When you’re fighting for your life against cancer or any critical illness, words can make all of the difference in the world. For Gordon and I, the first “I don’t believe you just said that!” moment came during the initial visit to his oncologist. We had found a treatment facility for his type of cancer in Little Rock, Arkansas. When we asked that first oncologist about a referral,...

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FirstLight in the news! Gina Kaurich shares her tips on hiring a caregiver

From our Care Blog

Anyone who has had to find an in-home caregiver for an aging parent or relative can attest to the difficulty in finding someone trustworthy, qualified and responsible enough to provide care for a loved one. Gina Kaurich, FirstLight Home Care’s executive director of client care services, was recently interviewed by FamilyGoesStrong.com about things to consider when looking for a caregiver. One of Gina’s suggestions was to try a “share-care” with other family members. This is what she and her in-laws did with her mother-in-law Martha who suffers from Alzheimer’s. According to Gina, you should ask yourself how much time you’re...

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