The FirstLight Care Corner

Simple Ways to Fight the Winter Blues

From our Care Blog

Don't put yourself or your loved one at risk for depression or other illnesses. By: Tina Glenn & Roget Berendes Our two worst enemies when it comes to our ability to fight the winter blues are a lack of sunshine and our tendency to shut ourselves off from others during the cold winter months. Sunshine is vital for good mental health, and it also provides our bodies with needed Vitamin D. Socialization is vital to staying connected to the outside world. Here are some simple ways to help fight the winter blues: Get more sunlight throughout the day Do your...

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Aging and Staging Your Life for a Better Future

From our Care Blog

By: June Duncan, Guest Contributor At a certain age, we all must accept that our bodies will weaken, our minds will wander, and someone will likely have to provide us care each day. But it’s what we do before that time that makes a difference in our end-of-life happiness. Planning for the long road Age brings with it the possibility for many health conditions that can’t be handled alone. According to Texas A&M, seniors experience a host of issues that affect physical and mental well-being. Sensory impairments, accidents, cognitive decline and even low self-esteem can negatively impact an individual's ability...

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Wishing You a New Year Full of Blessings

From our Care Blog

As we close out 2019 (and an entire decade!), we want to wish you all a wonderful new year. May 2020 be your best one yet! We’ve rounded up a few inspiring posts to help you stress less through the remainder of the holiday season and to assist in making and keeping those New Year’s resolutions. We hope you enjoy! Here are some useful tips for all of us to help with the stress of the holiday season. Read 5 Tips to Manage Holiday Stress. The beginning of the year is a perfect time to evaluate our lives, address challenges...

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4 Ways Caregivers Can Cope with Alzheimer's During the Holidays

From our Care Blog

The holidays can be tough for families affected by Alzheimer’s or other dementias. Your loved one living with Alzheimer’s may experience confusion or anxiety, especially with the additional hustle and bustle of the holiday season. And that could put added stress on families. Our local FirstLight® caregivers shared these tips to help make the holidays merry, bright and, most of all, memorable for family caregivers and the people in their care. Create a safe and calm space. It’s easy to go all out during the holiday with decorations, blinking lights, music and loud gatherings. Simplify holiday decorations. Avoid blinking lights...

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HOW TO RECOGNIZE DEMENTIA: 7 EARLY SIGNS

From our Care Blog

Dementia is a term that describes a variety of symptoms affecting a person's cognitive functioning. The most recognizable being their ability to think, remember and reason. It is a disease that can be characterized by a decline in memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking skills that affect a person's ability to perform everyday activities. Every person is unique, and dementia affects people differently - no two people will have symptoms that develop in the same way. Signs of dementia can go unnoticed for a long time because the changes that occur in your loved one can be small at first....

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5 Tips to Manage Holiday Stress

From our Care Blog

With all the decorating, cooking and gatherings, Hanukkah, Christmas and the New Year tend to bring additional stress. But a little planning and prioritizing can help you enjoy a peaceful holiday season. Here are some useful tips for all of us to help manage holiday stress: Remind yourself that things don’t always go as planned… and be flexible. It’s ok if you can’t make it to every holiday party you are invited to or stay for hours at each one. If you need to make an appearance at more than one, just be cautious of the time and leave when...

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Happy Thanksgiving!

From our Care Blog

On this day of gratitude, may the good things in life be yours in abundance not only at Thanksgiving but throughout the coming year. At FirstLight Home Care, we have a lot to be thankful for. We are most grateful for our extraordinary caregivers who continue to provide exceptional care and compassion to our clients and families. We are also thankful for the more than 40 million family caregivers who will spend this Thanksgiving – as they do every day – placing the care and safety of a loved one first. We thank them for their care, commitment, generosity and...

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3 Reasons Caregiving is So Hard

From our Care Blog

Caring for a loved one strains even the most resilient people. At FirstLight® we have found that family caregivers tend to be very compassionate people that only want to provide what is best for the loved one in their care. They appreciate the satisfaction and fulfillment that comes with taking care of someone, but the shift in parental roles and the emotions connected to an aging or ailing loved one can change the dynamics of any situation. Caregiving is hard work. It can involve many stressors. Over the last 10 years working with families, our local caregivers have found these...

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HOW CAN CAREGIVERS PRACTICE SELF-CARE?

From our Care Blog

Self-care is any activity that we do purposefully in order to take care of our emotional and physical health. It is a broad concept that incorporates nutrition, lifestyle, physical activities, and personal awareness, to name a few. Self-care is a way for our bodies to refuel. Make no mistake…it is not a selfish act. Good self-care is key to improving mood, reducing anxiety and maintaining a good relationship with oneself and others. Practicing self-care isn’t always easy. Most people, especially family caregivers, have busy schedules managing the care of a loved one and the needs of their family, friends, and...

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Happy Veterans Day!

From our Care Blog

We would like to honor and thank all our military veterans on this Veterans Day. And a special thanks to our many FirstLight Home Care veteran franchise owners across our franchise system.

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