Firstlight Resources

Myths About Osteoporosis

From our Care Blog

Osteoporosis is known as the “silent disease” because many people do not realize they have it until they fall or experience a fracture. There are certain things we know: osteoporosis is a disease in which the bones become more and more fragile as they lose density, usually due to aging, menopause, and other factors like lack of calcium and vitamin D in the diet.We know that osteoporosis is predicted to affect as many as half of all Americans over age 50 by the year 2020. However, there are still many myths and misconceptions surrounding the illness which FirstLight Home Care would like to explain so you can more...

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5 Steps To Controlling High Blood Pressure

From our Care Blog

After being diagnosed with high blood pressure, there are a number of ways to keep it under control.  Having high blood pressure isn't something anyone wishes for, but if you do have high blood pressure, think of it as a time to change your lifestyle for the better. There are a number of ways to control high blood pressure without the use of medication.  However, if you are doing well with all of these steps and still seeing high blood pressure, don't be afraid to use medication.  It is important to find out what type of blood pressure medication will work...

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How to Reduce Your Stress Over the Holiday Season

From our Care Blog

We all look forward to Christmas, right?  It is a day of relaxing, possibly watching the annual Christmas parade and/or football, eating too much yummy food, being thankful for all that we have and being surrounded by family and friends. Well, that’s how it’s supposed to be in a perfect world. But, we all know that holidays aren’t perfect and neither are our families. Unfortunately, there can be a lot stress that comes with the holidays too.  For one, traveling (whether it’s by car or plane) can be taxing on one’s patience, especially if there are kids involved.  And, as much...

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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 Families During Holidays and Special Occasions

From our Care Blog

Home care for families during holidays and special occasions helps you reduce stress and enjoy your time with your loved ones.

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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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