Firstlight Resources

Losing It. Early Signs of Dementia

From our Care Blog

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 5 million Americans live daily with dementia. In fact, every 67 seconds, someone in the United States develops dementia. Dementia is a collection of symptoms that can be caused by various diseases. The leading cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. Dementia can also be caused by brain damage incurred from any injury or stroke or from other diseases like Huntington’s or Lewy body dementia. Many people write in to Nurse Gina to ask about dementia and its early signs versus normal age-appropriate forgetfulness. Here are some signs to consider: Memory Loss: If you...

Learn More about Losing It. Early Signs of Dementia

5 Things Your Mom Didn't Tell You About Growing Old

From our Care Blog

Our moms taught us many things when we were growing up – how to braid our hair, tie our shoes, dance, and multi-task both at home and work. However, it's amusing that she failed to tell us what would happen as we age. It’s like we’re now the Lewis and Clark of old age…uncovering and discovering all these new and unknown changes we’re going through. It would have been nice if she would have just handed us her old-age map with instructions on what to expect. So if your mom is anything like our mom, then you’ll want to read...

Learn More about 5 Things Your Mom Didn't Tell You About Growing Old

How To Find The Right Caregiver

From our Care Blog

A caregiver is an important companion for your parent and can support them with everything from bathing and light housekeeping, to meal preparation, prescription pick-ups and transportation to and from doctor’s appointments. If you have determined that having additional outside support to help you care for your parents, you might struggle with where to start to find an outside service and even one you can trust. Following are some important considerations to get the process started. Caregivers can be found through personal referrals, but oftentimes it is easier to go through a reliable referring service that handles the background checks...

Learn More about How To Find The Right Caregiver

Baby Boomer Trends

From our Care Blog

The Baby Boomer generation are pretty cool. There are 40 million Americans age 65 and older and they make up 13 percent of the population. By 2030, when all the baby boomers will have passed age 65, this group will represent over 20 percent of the population. What’s fascinating is that they continue to make a difference in our world. Here are some trends that show just how Baby Boomers are making an impact! 1. Helping Young People: Baby Boomers are going back to the classroom to support local schools. With funding reduced in area schools, many Boomers are joining...

Learn More about Baby Boomer Trends

Health is Wealth: Create a Winning Baby Boomer Exercise Plan

From our Care Blog

Want to stay healthy and active in your 50s and beyond? Try out some of these effective Baby Boomer exercise activities.

Learn More about Health is Wealth: Create a Winning Baby Boomer Exercise Plan

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...

Learn More about Sanity Check: Why Family Caregivers Need Respite Care

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,...

Learn More about A Travel Companion For Seniors Is Great!

Home Automation and Its Many Benefits

From our Care Blog

Every home, regardless of its location, is at risk for vandalism and burglary. The only person who can combat that risk is the homeowner. It is the homeowner's responsibility, if they feel unsafe, to choose a suitable security system to keep his or her home protected. When the resident of the home in question is someone as vulnerable as a senior citizen, the need for a reliable system is only that much greater. Sounding the Alarm One of the most basic but important features any senior home security system should have is an alarm. Alarms, when functioning, will go off...

Learn More about Home Automation and Its Many Benefits

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...

Learn More about Aging Parents: Ask Nurse Gina

Aging Gracefully: The Power of Walking as you Get Older.

From our Care Blog

Every now and then we have to admit that we can’t do all of the physical exercise that we did when we were younger. Thankfully, walking is one form of exercise that most of us can do throughout our life. Not only will walking help you to slow down the aging process, but you will help you feel more energetic and better about yourself. So lace up your walking shoes and check out the health and aging benefits of walking: Walking can reduce your stroke risks: According to University of South Carolina researchers, walking briskly for just 30 minutes, five...

Learn More about Aging Gracefully: The Power of Walking as you Get Older.