The FirstLight Care Corner

The $41 Billion Problem with Hospital Readmissions

From our Care Blog

Before the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), hospitals were not penalized for patient readmission within the first 30 days of a discharge. This led to the American healthcare system spending $41.3 billion dollars in just 11 months to treat readmitted individuals. Today, even with the ACA’s readmission penalty, hospitalization makes up nearly a third of the $2 trillion spent on healthcare. While some readmissions are unavoidable, a large number can be prevented. This means at-risk individuals such as seniors, adults with disabilities, those recovering from injuries and veterans should be safeguarded from hospitalizations. Here are a few ways...

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Does Life Insurance Pay for Home Care?

From our Care Blog

Will life insurance pay for home care? For many, life insurance can be used to help cover the costs of long-term care.

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Keeping in Shape for National Nutrition Month

From our Care Blog

Between work and home life, there never seems to be enough hours in the day to pay attention to the little things (that can have a big impact!) like nutrition. Combined with increasingly sedentary lifestyles, this unhealthy trend has led to an overweight problem in America where 78 million U.S. adults are considered obese. To address this, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has designated March National Nutrition Month 2016 so Americans, young and old, can “savor the flavor of eating right.” So, if you are looking to get healthy with your own food or want to set a good...

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National Eating Disorders Awareness Week – Understanding the Misconceptions

From our Care Blog

Are you or someone you care about struggling with an eating disorder? Eating disorders are complex illnesses that can be life-threatening for the young and old. February 23 to March 1 is the National Eating Disorders Awareness Week and it was started to support families and communities who are struggling with this disease. It also brings awareness and helps to overcome the misconceptions following these mental health disorders. This disease does not target just adolescent women, it is an illness that strikes all age groups, genders and demographics. One person in every hundred people in the United States struggle with...

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5 Things You Can Do Today to Live Healthier

From our Care Blog

Research shows that the key to lifelong good health is more than just eating right. It also includes how you think, exercise, sleep, and engage with others. We asked "Just Ask FirstLight" about their thoughts on a number of life issues, here's what they had to say: Think Positive. Your body believes what you think, so focus on the positive. When you think positive it will help you to build a healthier immune system and boost your overall health. Exercise. Daily physical exercise can help you reduce stress, improve your blood pressure, lower your cholesterol, and help you look and...

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Have you had the talk? Over 50 and dating!

From our Care Blog

If you’re over 50 and single, dating might sound a little daunting. But the good news is that you can date (because there are millions of people 50 and older who are single in the US) and when you do start to date, you can build a relationship how you want. What we’ve learned about the 50 and older crowd is that a large percentage of them have already been married so they know more about what they want (or better yet, what they don’t want). So if you’re just getting out into the dating scene after a few years,...

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Forget the Oscars, HomeCare Pulse 2016 Award Winners Announced

From our Care Blog

It’s award season and as many famous celebrities prepare to walk the red carpet, our FirstLight Home Care franchise operators across the United States are walking the “caring carpet”. We are honored to announce the 51 FirstLight Home Care offices that won the prestigious Provider of Choice, Employer of Choice, and Leadership Excellence awards from HomeCare Pulse. “Agencies providing the highest quality of in-home care services are nominated to receive the Best of Home Care Award from Home Care Pulse,” said Nurse Gina. “We are proud that so many of our FirstLight Home Care offices received an award and recognition...

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We ?? You: Control Your Blood Pressure

From our Care Blog

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (DCD) along with Million Hearts have put together a national effort to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes in the United State by 2017. They will achieve this goal by increasing awareness of your blood pressure. They want you to get it in control and to do so, you need to make it your goal. Currently 67 million Americans have high blood pressure. People with high blood pressure are 4 times more likely to die from a stroke and 3 times more likely to die from heart disease, compared to those with...

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We’ve Got Our Eyes On You: National Eye Care Month

From our Care Blog

January is National Eye Care Month. It is also National Glaucoma Awareness Month. This means it’s time to schedule your annual eye exam. It is important, at any age, to have your eyes checked. We asked our own Nurse Gina why it’s important and she gave us these reasons. Early Detection: Your eyesight can change in a year so seeing your Ophthalmologist each year will allow you to find out if there are any deformities early on in their development. Addressing eye health issues before they become more severe is a good thing and early treatment will minimize damage to...

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4 Things to Elder Proof Your Bathroom

From our Care Blog

Each year thousands* of people over the age of 55 are injured in the bathroom due to simple slip and falls while in the bath or using the bathroom. As the aging become more fragile or health problems and side effects from medications can increase chances of injury, there are simple additions you can make in their bathroom to reduce the risk of injuries or even death. Safety-Rails: Install grab bars by the toilet and in the shower. These need to be properly installed so they are secure enough to support weight. Also consider using shower chairs and bath benches...

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