Firstlight Resources

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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FirstLight celebrates success with first annual conference

From our Care Blog

Our first annual national conference last week was a huge success! A sincere thank you to each and every franchisee, employee and caregiver who made it to the conference at Big Cedar Resort—I firmly believe we have the best team in the industry. The three day event incorporated panels and roundtable sessions on best tips and practices of successful networking, effective management, administration and training techniques, plus focus groups for recruiting, advertising, social media and care coordination. Special presentations from industry experts and guest speakers were also heard. The event gave me the opportunity to bestow top franchisees and caregivers...

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Jump into fall

From our Care Blog

The past week has proven to be a great start to the fall season. Warm temps, sunshine and changing leaves across most of the country create the perfect opportunity for people to get outdoors and get moving! While many of us have no trouble being active in the great outdoors, seniors often pass up the chance to get fresh air due to mobility issues or lack of companionship. If you’re able, set aside a few days this fall season for the elderly loved ones in your life and make an effort to help them enjoy one of the more simple...

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A tragic situation

From our Care Blog

Recently, a situation came to light in the Denver, Colorado news about a man who obviously was suffering from some type of dementia.  The wife had left apparently due to some behavior problems and the family tried unsuccessfully to intervene.  A social worker interviewed the man and found he needed a thorough assessment by a physician to determine both physical and cognitive health issues.  Due to the man’s refusal of treatment, the family filed a court injunction to have him taken to a hospital for evaluation.  A police officer went to the home; however, after a conversation with the man,...

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