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Are You A Heart Attack Waiting to Happen?

From our Care Blog

Too often we ignore the warning signs of a heart attack, thinking it might be indigestion or the strain of a muscle. That’s why heart attacks are nicknamed “the silent killer”, because rarely do they just happen suddenly. Usually there are a number of warning signs that should never be ignored. More than a million Americans have a heart attack every year, and chronic heart disease is the leading killer of both men and women in the United States. A heart attack, or a myocardial infarction (MI) causes permanent damage to the heart muscle. Oxygen rich blood stops flowing to...

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Missing The Crazy Christmas Lady

From our Care Blog

The other day my daughter asked me to watch “The Grinch That Stole Christmas” with Jim Carrey. It was the first snow of the year, and it seemed like a fun thing to do, even though it was way ahead of the holidays. It’s a fun movie with a heartfelt message. When the movie ended, I started to cry. Not little sniffles, but heaving sobs. When my daughter asked me why, I explained that it was the first holiday season without my Mom. These “milestone” moments are always hard, particularly the first year.  We liked to make fun of her...

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Coping With The Death Of Your Mother

From our Care Blog

By Cindy Smith, Adult Daughter My Mother was 82-years-old and had been given Last Rites three times. She had been sick for 10 years, and her death had not been unexpected. But when the finality comes, it leaves a gaping abyss that is difficult to fill. It is true that death is harder on those left behind. I was a long distance caregiver for eight years and we used to talk on the phone for an hour every day (thank goodness they don’t charge by the minute for long distance calls anymore). She would give me advice on my kids,...

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5 Tips For Making An Arthritic's Life Easier

From our Care Blog

My mother was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis when she was 20, but was able to stay mobile well into her 80s. During the course of those 60 years, I watched her take various medications, try different diets and exercise programs, and attempt various other remedies to combat her pain and fatigue. Okay, the psychic healer was the most far-fetched, but we would have tried anything to keep Mom “upright” as she used to say. Now I am in my 50s and have been diagnosed with the same illness. I know the struggles that lay before me. Some days it would be...

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When the daughter becomes the mother

From our Care Blog

Today’s post was written for us by Cindy Smith, a close friend and client of FirstLight Home Care. Here’s what she has to say about her experiences finding care for her elderly mother. I never expected to become a mother again at the age of 50. It was the first in a series of shocks. However, the person I am taking care of is not a child. It is my mother, one of the most precious people in my life. My father was always the healthy one, the strong one, invincible in his own way. Never been in the hospital,...

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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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“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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