Firstlight Resources

2012 Best Holiday Gifts For Seniors

From our Care Blog

It’s that time of year again when I rack my brain for what to get my parents and loved ones for the holidays. If I ask them what they want. I get the standard reply: “nothing, I have everything I want”. So I decided to do some research on the Internet to find out what’s hot, what’s new, and some standard tried and trues. I knew that I wanted a gift that would keep them engaged and active. Definitely no dust collectors as our family home is chock full of doo dads and mementos! Wii. Who said video games are...

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Fall Prevention for Seniors

From our Care Blog

Falling is an all too common problem with seniors that often lead to injuries and future health complications (due to a decline in bone mass throughout aging, falls can be the first step to decreasing health.) In fact, the majority of accidents that occur in retirement facilities are falls.  The bright side is that falls can be easily prevented since they usually are caused by simple mistakes. In order to help avoid future health complications and maintain independence, our team of caregivers at FirstLight Home Care have developed some tips to prevent falls for seniors. Keep a Well Lit Living...

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Home Care For the Holidays

From our Care Blog

When we talk about home care at FirstLight Homecare, we are usually referring to our home healthcare services. However, as the holidays are upon us, I began to think of the other “home care” services I could get my parents for the holidays. Every year I wrestle over what to get my parents. They are in their late 70s and have virtually everything they want. They live in the same home I grew up in and if I even mention the word “upgrade” or “remodel”, they shush me. My Mom likes her well-worn furniture, because it is comfortable. And that’s...

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Three Early Signs of Dementia

From our Care Blog

So, it’s a Saturday and you have just taken your mom out for a nice lunch.  Your elderly mom however cannot remember where she put her checkbook.  And, she tripped a couple times as you brought her back to her house.  You also noticed that she seemed distant at lunch, and you caught her staring off into nowhere several times. None of these things should be a cause for alarm, right?  Geez, even I misplace my car keys about once a day.  However, as our parents and loved ones age, the occurrence of these events could be early signs of...

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Keeping A Thankful Journal

From our Care Blog

It is an annual tradition in our family to go around the Thanksgiving table and have everyone express one thing they are thankful for. One of my favorites is when my nephew said he was thankful he didn’t have to clean up the mess! But too soon, Thanksgiving is behind us, the stomach ache from eating too much turkey is long gone and the rat race begins anew. We get caught up in the stress, the negative feelings the holidays can elicit and we forget about all the good things. For instance, this is my first holiday season without my...

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Apps for Seniors

From our Care Blog

There are millions of apps in iTunes and it grows daily. Here’s some apps that might help seniors make their lives a little easier. ICE (In Case of Emergency). The ICE iPhone application provides emergency personnel or EMT's vital information that might save your life.  This information includes what  medicine you are taking and the dosages, allergies or reactions and any emergency contacts. This app is free. MedReminderPro. This app from Wooden Apps Production is a good basic pill-scheduling program with few frills, and only costs $2.99 in the App Store. It’s compatible with the iPad and iPod touch as well as...

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The Great American Smokeout!

From our Care Blog

Today, November 15 is the great American Smokeout, a day initiated by the American Cancer Society to bring awareness to a habit that can be life-threatening. Did you know that one in five Americans still smoke? Or that using tobacco is the #1 cause of premature death in the United States? It's going to take more than warnings on cigarette packages to get people to quit. Although smoking has been banned in many restaurants and buildings, we know that people who smoke will always find a time or place to smoke. And even though a pack of cigarettes can cost...

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Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

From our Care Blog

November is National Diabetes Month and FirstLight Home Care would like to bring your attention to an illness that impacts millions of Americans every day. According to the National Diabetes Association: Nearly 26 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes. Another 79 million Americans have pre-diabetes and are at risk for developing type 2  diabetes. The statistic that is most startling is: Recent estimates project that as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes in 2050 unless we take steps to Stop Diabetes. Although Type 1 diabetes is not preventable, Type 2 diabetes is....

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The Sandwich Generation...The New Normal?

From our Care Blog

Have you heard of the term “The Sandwich Generation?”  Well, if you haven’t up until now, then you’ll probably start to hear it more and more.  Heck, you might even be a member of The Sandwich Generation and you don’t even know it. It’s a term that I find extremely accurate and descriptive once you understand the context of which it’s used.  So what exactly does it mean? The Sandwich Generation is a generation of people who care for their agingparents while supporting their own children. Dorothy A. Miller coined the term “sandwich generation” back in 1981, and Carol Abaya has...

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Alternatives to the Traditional Funeral

From our Care Blog

Guest blogger: Julie Grannan My mom passed away on August 2, 1997.  Only 54 years old, she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a short six months prior.  Being “younger” I don’t believe that she and my dad had really discussed their funeral/burial preferences.  But when terminal illness comes knocking on your door, this often times awkward conversation has to be had. I was 18 years old at the time, and I remember being quite surprised and unsettled in my emotions when I heard that my mom wished to be cremated.  However, over time and definitely as I fully entered...

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