Firstlight Resources

Healthy Eyes - June is Cataract Awareness Month

From our Care Blog

Your sight matters! Cataracts are the leading cause of vision loss in the United States, and it is the leading cause of blindness in the world.  (Source: Eye World, 2017) Over twenty-two million Americans are affected by cataracts, resulting in an annual estimated cataract treatment cost of $6.8 billion. (Source: Friends for Sight, 2017) FirstLight Home Care wants you to take care of your eyes and to be aware that you can help protect yourself from cataracts by understanding the disease and being proactive on how to prevent it. A cataract is a clouding of the eye's lens that leads...

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Six Reasons Why Men Should Go To The Doctor

From our Care Blog

60 percent of men don’t go to their doctors regularly. June is Men's Health Month and for good reason. In a recent study of 500 men by Cleveland Clinic found out that only three in five get an annual physical and just over 40 percent go to the doctor only when they fear they have a serious medical condition. Of those they surveyed, over 53 percent agree that their health just isn’t something they talk about and 19 percent admitted they go to the doctor so their significant other or loved one will stop nagging them. If you are like the...

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Keeping You Aging Parents' Home Safe

From our Care Blog

June is National Safety Month. It is important to keep everyone safe, especially when it comes to your aging parents living independently at home. FirstLight Home Care put together a list of home safety tips to help aging parents prevent falls and accidents in their homes. Start with the outside of your parents' home. Walk around the home to check out the condition of sidewalks, handrails, lighting and vegetation or shrubs. Uneven sidewalks, loose handrails, poor lighting and overgrown landscaping could become a trip hazard. Move or put away outdoor furniture, flower pots, and gardening tools that could obstruct their...

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Aging and Mental Health: Activities To Improve Your Mental Health

From our Care Blog

One in five older adults experience mental health concerns that are not a normal part of aging – the most common of which are anxiety or mood disorders including depression*. Most mental health cases respond well to treatment, but unfortunately many older adults go do not get diagnosed and go untreated, which can lead to diminished functioning, substance abuse, poor quality of life, and increased mortality. Mental health is as important as physical health. Good mental health contributes to an overall feeling of well-being which impacts your stress levels, memory, sleepand how you think and feel about yourself. There are many...

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Stroke Risk Factors, Know the Four H's

From our Care Blog

Knowing stroke risk factors is half the battle. A stroke, sometimes called a "brain attack," occurs when blood flow to an area in the brain is cut off. The brain cells, deprived of the oxygen and glucose needed to survive, die. If not caught early, permanent brain damage can result. A stroke can happen to anyone at any time, it doesn’t discriminate between gender, race, or age. The good news, if you know the stroke risk factors, up to 80 percent of them are preventable*. May is Stroke Awareness Month and it’s important to know the risk factors that can...

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Questions to Ask your Aging Parents

From our Care Blog

It's time for the "talk" with your aging parents. Start the conversation with these questions about your aging parents living situation, health, finance, and memorial wishes. If you are a son or daughter of aging parents, it might be time to start asking questions to find out everything you can about their living situation, health, financial and memorial wishes. By starting a conversation, you can work with them to develop a plan and should something serious happen, you will have basic information to support them. At FirstLight Home Care we know it can be tough to start a conversation with...

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Age Out Loud, FirstLight Home Care Celebrates Older American's Month

From our Care Blog

Older Americans, it's time to celebrate your age! May is Older American's Month and this year, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) wants to celebrate what getting older looks like today. The theme, Age Out Loud, gives a new voice to older American adults who are working longer, trying new things, and engaging in their communities. They’re taking charge, striving for wellness, focusing on independence, and advocating for themselves and others. At FirstLight Home Care we take pride in celebrating Older American's Month and the fact that we are all getting older. Actually, we celebrate aging every day. For us, our...

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Medication Mismanagement: Tips on Prescription Drug Safety

From our Care Blog

Persons aged 65 years and older comprise only 13 percent of the population, yet account for more than one-third of total outpatient spending on prescription medications in the United States*. If you are older, or the caregiver for someone that currently takes multiple prescription medications simultaneously to treat different conditions and symptoms, mismanagement of any medication can be harmful and could lead to hospitalization or even death. In 2016, the American Family Physician publication reported that one in six hospital admissions of older adults is because of a medication error, a proportion that is four times that of younger people. ...

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The Benefits of Humor as we Age

From our Care Blog

For many people getting older isn’t funny, but keeping your sense of humor as we age has proven to help us cope with the changes, challenges and unexpected obstacles of aging. A dose of humor promotes good health, and has a beneficial effect on some of the most common health challenges of aging. These benefits fall in four important areas, including: Humor reduces stress: It is believed that laughter works by relieving stress, which is implicated in so many negative impacts on our health. Laughing can help relax muscles, lowers blood pressure and increase the oxygen level in your blood. When...

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Summer Travel: Elderly Travelers Checklist

From our Care Blog

Pack The Essentials: Elderly Traveler Checklist Summer is quickly approaching and more elderly people will be heading out-of-town and will travel by car, plane, train or ship for their next adventure. AARP is reporting that adults 50 and older will be active travelers in 2017. More than 55% will travel within the U.S.; 42% plan to travel both domestically and international; and 3% are expected to travel solely abroad. If you or your parents are one of the millions 50 and older travelers preparing for a trip, FirstLight Home Care has put together the following Senior Travel Checklist Essential that...

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