The FirstLight Care Corner

Living a Purpose-Filled Life At Any Age

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. Molly Rowe - Owner, FirstLight Home Care of Salem, MA Of all the things that baffled us about our dad’s (my dad-in-law’s) behavior in the last few years of his life, there’s one thing that stands out most of all. It wasn’t that he started freezing all his food (including his butter) or sleeping in a chair every night. It was that he stopped doing crossword puzzles. Crossword puzzles were a mainstay in his house after his wife died...

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Conversations We Wish We’d Had

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. About a year ago last summer, my husband, his siblings, and I sat around our kitchen table having the conversation we’d long avoided—how to care for Dad. Like most people who end up sitting at this table, we had a lot of questions and not a lot of answers. We Googled things like home care and visiting nurses, debated how to take his driver’s license away, and fretted about how we’d bring it up to him. Little did we...

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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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Get Inspired

From our Care Blog

Did you know FirstLight Home Care is on Pinterest? We are. We’ve created some great boards about “Food and Memory”, “Caregiver Appreciation”, “Recipes for Health” and many more. One of our favorite boards, and one that gets a lot of views and re-pins is our Inspiration Board. In our business, and in life in general, it is great to have place to turn to and find an inspiring word or an image that motivates you to get through the day and this board provides that. Here’s a sample of what you’ll find on this board. We hope it makes your...

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Your Teeth and Gums Can Impact Your Health

From our Care Blog

October is Dental Hygiene Month (sorry, no cake or sweets with this celebration). Taking care of your teeth and gums can have great health benefits. Here are a few of our favorite facts: Boosts Your Self-esteem and Confidence: Decayed teeth and gum disease are often associated not only with an unsightly mouth but very bad breath – which, let’s be honest, affects your confidence, self-image, and self-esteem. May Lower Risk of Heart Disease: Chronic inflammation from gum disease has been associated with the development of cardiovascular problems such as heart disease, blockages of blood vessels, and strokes. Preserves Your Memory:...

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Best Foods To Support Memory

From our Care Blog

Are you feeling forgetful lately? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. There are many things that could be impacting what you recall. Pressures from work and home life, sleeping patterns and not allowing time in your day to do some form of exercise may be impacting your memory. However, did you know that your memory is impacted by the foods you’re not eating as well? Next time you’re at the grocery store, fill your cart with these tasty items. Blueberries: This tasty fruit has been shown in numerous studies to do wonderful things for memory and the brain in general. Blueberries...

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Funny Things Seniors Say

From our Care Blog

We are blessed to work around elderly people every day with our in-Home Care services at FirstLight Home Care. Some days are better than others when you care for someone who isn’t feeling well or who is struggling with the challenges that come with aging. Truthfully, many days are just plain hilarious. Old people say funny and do things. Many of them are jokesters and can’t wait for us to show up so that they can do something that will make us laugh. We completely understand and appreciate HIPPA laws…but these are just too darn funny not to share. And,...

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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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