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Multiple Generations Under One Roof

From our Care Blog

When my dad was alive, he used to say “18 and out.” In his mind, he paid for our college and after that it was time to fly on our own. It was an expectation I never tested. In the 30+ years since I left college, I went home for visits but never to live. We took pride in being self-sufficient and “making it on our own.” Now, my 25-year-old son still lives with me. He has a part-time job making $9.25/hour and pays for his own car insurance, health insurance and gas. That’s about all he can afford. I...

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FirstLight Home Care Celebrates Parkinson Awareness Month

From our Care Blog

Muhammed Ali who floated like a butterfly in the boxing ring gave a face to the disease. Did he give up? No. He lit the Olympic Torch in 1996. Michael J Fox battles it too, yet he has his own successful sitcom and has raised more than $450 million in research to bring about a cure. These are just two people among the 1.5 million Americans who battle Parkinson’s disease yet lead rich and fulfilling lives. April Is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, a time to educate people about this illness and the many misconceptions that surround it. It’s also time to...

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Want To Feel Older Instead of Younger?

From our Care Blog

Without a doubt, our society is obsessed with being younger. More than $114 billion will be spent on anti-aging products by 2015. We’re always after the “fountain of youth”, a way to turn back the clock and eradicate the wrinkles on our face and maintain our youthful vigor. I remember when I was young and my Mom was 50. I thought that was ancient! Now that I am in my 50s, even 80 seems young. Your perspective totally changes. When my kids call me an “old lady”, I am offended by the reference. Wonder why our aging parents are always...

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Be Optimistic Even In The Face of Grim News

From our Care Blog

There are those who see the glass half full and others who see the glass half empty. At FirstLight Home Care, we always see the glass half full with hope. Did you recently receive a cancer diagnosis? Have a chronic debilitating illness? March is National Optimism Month, and as hard as it is, you have to try and maintain a positive attitude. You have to take all your negative thoughts and stuff them under your mattress where you can’t see or reach them. My Mom was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and lupus when she was 20-years-old and had a colostomy...

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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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