Understanding
Senior Care

Embracing Old Man Winter

From our Care Blog

The last few leaves on your tree are about to fall. Gray skies have taken over. Winter is approaching fast. Unless you plan on heading south for the next 5 months to avoid the cold, you need to get prepared. Winter can be a challenge, so you need to find the bright side. We’ve put together a list of things you can do to embrace old man winter and make the most of it. Make a bird/squirrel feeder. Snow, frozen ground, and lack of vegetation makes it hard for wildlife to find food. Make simple feeders out of peanut butter...

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The Art of Letter Writing

From our Care Blog

Letter writing is an almost lost skill and all of us living in our digital-centric world are missing out on the beauty of a handwritten letter and the joy of finding something personal in your mailbox. We can change that, December 7th is Letter Writing Day. We’re encouraging everyone to take a few minutes and send someone a hand written letter. By going through the process of writing a letter and physically committing words to a paper, it shows your investment of time and effort in a relationship. It can be a very meaningful experience for you – but you...

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To Grandmother's House You Go! Are You Ready For Winter Driving?

From our Care Blog

Driving during the winter months can be treacherous. Cold weather, ice, snow, and limited daylight hours can make a simple trip across town a long and exhausting journey. You need to be prepared. Here are some helpful tips to help you get your car ready for winter travel: Make your own or purchase a pre-made car weather safety kit. This kit should include: first-aid kit, jumper (booster) cables, tow ropes, cat litter (or something to gain traction under your tires if stuck somewhere slippery), a windshield scraper, candle, and matches. Check your tires well before the winter season begins. Be...

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Living with Alzheimer’s and Dementia

From our Care Blog

November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month. If a family member has been diagnosed with dementia, it can come as a shock and create anxiety within the family as to what will happen next. For many adults and seniors diagnosed with this disease, they want to remain independent and in their own homes for as long as possible. To achieve this goal, there will need to be some changes to enable people with dementia to remain independent for longer or make it easier for others to give support.* Avoid falls: Falls are a common and potentially serious problem affecting older...

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National Family Caregivers Month

From our Care Blog

There are hundreds of thousand families in the United States that are currently the primary caregiver to aging parents, adult children with disabilities, family members of wounded soldiers, or adult children caring for parents with Alzheimer’s disease. We know caring for a parent, family member or loved one day in and day out takes its toll on the caregiver. It’s a tough job and sometimes caregivers need a break and should take time for themselves to rejuvenate their own body, mind, and soul. November is National Family Caregivers Month and throughout the month we will be honoring and celebrating the...

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Organization: Write Things Down

From our Care Blog

Life gets busy and we are inundated with a ton of noise coming from our cell phones, emails, text messages, videos, TV and more. When things get hectic, we can tend to get forgetful. A simple but powerful habit to get into your daily routine is to write things down. Why is it so important you ask? Time has a way of changing our memory: Writing things down as they happen or right after they happen will help you to memorialize the facts. Every time we remember something, we recreate what happened and each time we do this things change....

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Aging: Live Well & Happy

From our Care Blog

There’s no avoiding it. We’re all getting older. That doesn’t mean we have to feel like we’re getting older. There are many things you can do to impact the process of aging so that you will age well and be happy. Here are a few of our favorites. Keep Your Cool. It is said that some levels of stress can be good for us. “If you never have to react to anything demanding, the mechanisms in your brain that help you deal with taxing situations will atrophy,” says Luigi Ferrucci, MD, PhD., scientific director of the National Institute on Aging....

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Father's Day Gift Ideas

From our Care Blog

Is your dad hard to buy for? Father's Day is Sunday, June 21st. Finding the perfect gift for your dad might be challenging, so we came up with a few gift ideas for all the different kind of dads out there. FOR THE "TRAVELING" DAD:  If your dad loves to travel around the world or just get out on the weekends, this SCOTTeVEST is perfect. He can carry everything he wants, protect important documents and stay connected with these 26 pockets (including 10 zip security pockets). There's a pocket for your passport and a patented internal cable system which safely...

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Tips On Caring For Your Aging Parents Long Distance

From our Care Blog

For many adult children, caring for their aging parents long distance is just a fact of life. You may live in one place, but your parents live thousands of miles away. You can’t pick up and move because of work or other family commitments. Talking on the phone daily is not the same as seeing them in person;  you can’t judge for yourself how they are really doing. You are not alone. According to a study by Met Life, more than 80% of long distance care providers are working either full or part-time and more than four in ten had...

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Dear Mom,

From our Care Blog

Mother's Day is Sunday, May 10, 2015. To celebrate the day, FirstLight Home Care pulled together some wonderful ways to celebrate and honor your mom. 1. Write Her A Letter. Yes, we're saying go "old school". The art of letter writing is dying and we want to revive it. Find a great card, sit down and memorialize what you love about your mom. Mail it to her and it will be a surprise in her mailbox when it is delivered. 2. Take A Stroll. Spring has sprung and if you both can, take a stroll. Head out to a local...

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