The FirstLight Care Corner

It Takes a Village

From our Care Blog

Molly Rowe – Owner, FirstLight Home Care of Salem, MA Guilt, I’m discovering, is a huge part of this aging thing. Our parent feels guilt for putting us out, frets about being a burden, worries about picking up the phone to ask for help. We the adult children question our decisions, second-guess our actions, and feel guilt for all we can’t do. I feel similar guilt with my preschool-aged children—worrying about their school, wondering if I’m reading enough books, stressing because they like only one vegetable. But with young children, it’s ok—even expected—to ask for help. You hire a babysitter...

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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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Give the Gift of Caring

From our Care Blog

As Thanksgiving is around the corner and the holidays approach, the question always arises: “What should I get my parents and grandparents for the holidays?” They are hard to buy for. They have reached the point in their life where they don’t need things. Dust collectors. Things to trip over and create a fall. If you ask them what they want, they will undoubtedly answer: “nothing, I have what I need.” That’s not much of a help! Consider this: your parents and grandparents are getting older and may have trouble doing the things they used to do. Cleaning the house...

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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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The Best Foods for Memory Health

From our Care Blog

Keep your mind sharp as you age with the best foods for memory health.

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