Firstlight Resources

New Year's Resolutions for Family Caregivers

From our Care Blog

New year. New you. A sampling of New Year’s resolutions to help family caregivers stay happy, healthy and energized in 2019. 2019 is just days away and the beginning of a new year is a perfect time to evaluate our lives, address challenges and move forward with positivity. For caregivers, this is an especially important time, so we’ve put together a collection of family caregiver New Year’s resolutions just for you: In 2019, grow your support circle so that you’re not doing everything by yourself. Create a support team of family, friends and/or local resources, like FirstLight Home Care, to...

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Preventing Caregiver Blues During the Holidays

From our Care Blog

Caregiver Blues: Tips to help family caregivers cope with depression this holiday season. Even though the holiday season is a time for family, friends and lots of activities, it can also be a stressful time for many people, especially seniors and their family caregivers. Unrealistic expectations, loneliness, reflection on losses, anxiety about an uncertain future, failing to get enough sleep, exercise, or not eating right are a few reasons that may cause caregiver blues over the holidays. Here are some great tips on how you, or the family caregiver in your life, can prevent the holiday caregiver blues: Set realistic...

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Free (or Cheap) Family Holiday Traditions

From our Care Blog

During the holidays, it’s a great time to gather up the family and start a simple, yet heartwarming, Christmas tradition. We’ve pulled together a list of free (or cheap) indoor and outdoor activities that would make great family holiday traditions. For our FirstLight Home Care caregivers, these are some of their favorite things to do with clients and families to bond and create lasting memories over the holidays. These 12-holiday traditions are designed to be fun for everyone (and that includes your wallet). Take a holiday light tour: Pile everyone into the car, put on some Christmas tunes, and go...

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Surviving the Holidays: Tips for Family Caregivers

From our Care Blog

There is no doubt the holidays can be demanding. For family caregivers, this time of year can be even more difficult due to less time and additional responsibilities. FirstLight Home Care has wrapped up some tips for caregivers to help them make it through the holiday season with more joy and less stress. Establish ground rules. Communication is key. If regular family visits are part of your holiday traditions, make sure everyone is on the same page. In advance of family arriving, make sure you communicate the physical and mental changes or abilities of the loved one in your care...

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Finding Balance: Tips for the Sandwiched Caregiver

From our Care Blog

The sandwich generation is a generation of people who care for their aging parents while bringing up their own children. A recent Pew Study said that nearly 40 percent of those in the sandwich generation also provide emotional and financial support to both their aging parents, as well as their grown children. The sandwich generation caregiver gets squeezed between caring for two different groups of family members, and it can get a bit stressful. Here are six practical tips for caregivers living in the sandwich generation. Prioritize What Matters: Make a list of all the things you think must be...

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Giving Thanks to the Family Caregiver

From our Care Blog

Today is Thanksgiving. A day to pause and give thanks to the people and blessings we have in our lives. At FirstLight Home Care, we have much to be thankful for. We are most grateful for our amazing caregivers across the United States who are providing exceptional care and compassion to local families. We are also thankful for the more than 40 million Americans who are family caregivers and will spend this Thanksgiving – like every day – placing the care and safety of a family loved one first. We thank them for their hard work, selflessness, dedication, and the...

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How Technology Can Assist Family Caregivers

From our Care Blog

There is a common misconception that technology and seniors don’t mesh. For a portion of seniors, this may be true, and technology may be intimidating. But for a large and growing number of elderly Americans, technology is becoming a way of life. Computers, smartphones, social media, and other devices are helping more seniors live independently. These new trends in technology not only give family members peace of mind, but they can help family caregivers provide even better care. GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) A GPS tracker can be attached to clothing or be worn on the wrist to tell a caregiver...

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5 Helpful Tips for First-Time Caregivers

From our Care Blog

In November, we celebrate National Home Care and Family Caregivers Month, observances that are central to FirstLight Home Care. Throughout the month, our FirstLight weekly blog will focus on providing the tools, tips, resources and peace of mind that so many family caregivers need. If you are or have been a family caregiver, we invite you to comment and share your rewarding experiences caring for a loved one, as well as the struggles you have faced throughout your caregiving journey. Providing care for an aging loved one can be rewarding. But it can also be quite difficult. If you’re a...

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We Are Called to Support Family Caregivers

From our Care Blog

In November, we celebrate National Home Care and Family Caregivers Month, observances that are central to FirstLight Home Care. Throughout the month, our FirstLight weekly blog will focus on providing the tips, resources, peace of mind and inspiration that so many family caregivers need. If you are or have been a family caregiver, we invite you to comment and share your rewarding experiences caring for a loved one, as well as the struggles you have faced throughout your caregiving journey. The family caregiver – a person who provides regular physical, emotional or household support to a loved one who is elderly, disabled, ill...

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Holiday Travel: 4 Ways to Make Flying Stress Free and Safe for Seniors

From our Care Blog

The holidays will be here before we know it. If your senior wants to travel this merry season, be sure to get them where they need to go safely and with minimal stress. Holiday travel can be hectic and stressful if it's not properly planned with a well-organized itinerary. If you are a son or daughter in charge of caring for a senior loved one - be it your parent or grandparent, or even close family friend - there may be times that they will want to fly for vacation or to visit other relatives during the holidays. And you may...

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