Understanding
Senior Care

Five great holiday movies to curl up and watch this weekend

From our Care Blog

It’s the crazy holiday season and there is so much to do with so little time but may we suggest, even recommend, that you block out a few hours this coming weekend and take a well deserved break? One of our favorite holiday traditions is to find a Saturday afternoon where we turn everything off (minus our Christmas lights), start a fire in the fireplace, grab a warm beverage, find the coziest blanket in the house and watch our favorite holiday movies. We have found this to be a great way to get re-energized and excited about the holiday season....

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Opening The Conversation on Care

From our Care Blog

Molly Rowe owns FirstLight Home Care of Salem, MA with her husband, Steve, and lives in Swampscott with their two sons. A few weeks ago, I wrote about our regrets related to my father-in-law in the last few years of his life. Since then, I’ve heard many stories from people who’ve shared similar experiences caring for an aging parent or loved one. Every story is different of course, but there’s one sentence I keep hearing over and over: “Looking back, we should have had help.” It’s mind-boggling to me, really, that we are all in this “caring for our parent”...

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Respite Care For Your Aging Parents Over The Holidays

From our Care Blog

If you are like most baby boomers, on any given day, you are trying to squeeze in raising your children, managing your career and taking care of your aging parents.  This can be very stressful and hectic as you try and meet all your time commitments. Add in the pace of the holiday season, and it’s no wonder that your blood pressure could be skyrocketing! Maybe you’d like to go away over the holidays, but you have no one reliable to watch your aging parents. Or maybe you’d just like a couple of hours off a week to get your...

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Where to turn when you’re caring for your aging parents

From our Care Blog

All your life, they’ve been there for you and now as they grow older, the role between you and your parents is changing. You’re now the parent…worried about their safety, concerned over changes in the way they eat or remember things that they use to never forget, and each month they require more help. It’s scary, confusing, exhausting, and at times even heartbreaking. We know. We’ve personally been there and we serve many families across the US who are going through exactly what you’re going through right this moment. In our years of serving the elderly, disabled, those returning from...

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Serving Our Veterans

From our Care Blog

FirstLight Home Care team members are proud to be able to serve and care for our men and women Veterans. We work hard to deliver care that is tailored to the servicemen and women that have fought for our freedom. We provide services that can be covered through a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pension program that provides financial benefits to veterans, or their surviving spouses, with non-service connected disabilities (called “Aid and Attendance). FirstLight Home Care caregivers can come into your home or a home of a Veteran family member and create a safe and supportive environment for you...

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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...

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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...

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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,...

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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...

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Depression and Aging

From our Care Blog

Depression is not a normal part of aging. However, older adults are at an increased risk for depression. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that 80% of older adults have a least one chronic health condition, and 50% have two or more. Depression is more common in people who have other illnesses or whose function becomes limited. It also increases in those who require home healthcare and older hospital patients. Unsure if a family member is suffering from depression? Here are some signs from CDC that might help you confirm your concerns: Signs of Depression Feelings...

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