Firstlight Resources

Happy New Year and welcome to 2012!

From our Care Blog

Happy New Year! It’s amazing that we’re already through the first week of 2012. Good news to share as we kick off the New Year: Tammy Iuso, recent Franchisee of the Year and owner of FirstLight in Orlando has earned Joint Commission Accreditation. This is quite an accomplishment in the home care industry and Orlando is our first location to earn this accreditation. The Joint Commission is an independent, non-profit organization that accredits and certifies more than 19,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. This is widely recognized as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s...

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Preparing Your Parents For the Flu Season

From our Care Blog

Preparing for the flu season is vital to the health of your aging parents.  It’s no secret that the elderly are more susceptible to catching the flu virus, so each year it is important to take the proper precautions to keep your parents healthy.  This year, the flu season has started early and appears to be strong, according to the CDC. In order to keep your parents healthy this year, make sure you take the following precautions. Get Vaccinated The first step to prepare for the upcoming flu season is to get your parents vaccinated.  Vaccination is one of the most...

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Family volunteering – the best gift of all

From our Care Blog

This weekend, many families will have the rare opportunity to gather together to celebrate the holidays and wrap-up another great year. The challenge is finding activities that the whole family can enjoy. While you are looking for ways to spend time together, including activities kids and seniors alike will be able to participate in, consider volunteering a little of your time to a less fortunate family or local community organization. No matter where you will be spending your holiday, there are many ways to volunteer. What better gift during the holiday season for someone less fortunate then a little of...

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FirstLight expands in New Jersey

From our Care Blog

We’re excited to introduce our newest franchisee, Eileen Appelblatt, to the Western Monmouth County communities in New Jersey. Eileen, along with her son Jeff, is looking forward to providing top-notch professional, home care services to local seniors and others in her area. Eileen spent over 30 years working as a client relationship manager at a New York brokerage firm before pursuing the home care industry. With her extensive experience working on a personal level with a variety of clients, we know she’ll excel in her new venture with FirstLight. This is our first location in the state and we're excited...

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Veteran’s Day and corduroy lovers

From our Care Blog

I read a peculiar story on The Wall Street Journal’s website this morning. Apparently, today is not only a day of honor and remembrance for the 24.9 million military veterans in the U.S., but it’s also a big day for corduroy lovers. Yes, the material. The ribbed textile lovers make up the 5,000 members of the Corduroy Appreciation Club and for them, no day gets better than today—11.11.11—which clearly symbolizes the vertical lines of the beloved fabric. If corduroy isn’t your thing, you can still honor our nation’s veterans and active duty service members, for the protection they provide is...

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Defining Your Resources In A Crisis

From our Care Blog

Guest blogger Joni Aldrich addresses the importance of being able to ask for help when you need it. Here are her tips on how to ask for and accept help and on how to identify who is best for each situation.   As you go through any type of life crisis, you may need support from people who care. As you seek help, consider it a delegation process—not a burden. Many of us are too proud to ask for help from others, even if we realize that people care and want to offer support. Get past that, and accept help...

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FirstLight Celebrates Success With First Annual Conference

From our Care Blog

Our first annual national conference last week was a huge success! A sincere thank you to each and every franchisee, employee and caregiver who made it to the conference at Big Cedar Resort—I firmly believe we have the best team in the industry. The three day event incorporated panels and roundtable sessions on best tips and practices of successful networking, effective management, administration and training techniques, plus focus groups for recruiting, advertising, social media and care coordination. Special presentations from industry experts and guest speakers were also heard. The event gave me the opportunity to bestow top franchisees and caregivers...

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“I Don’t Believe You Just Said That!” 7 Statements To Question In Your Cancer Fight

From our Care Blog

Today we bring you another guest post from Joni Aldrich, renowned author and speaker. The expression “sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can never harm me” is not true. When you’re fighting for your life against cancer or any critical illness, words can make all of the difference in the world. For Gordon and I, the first “I don’t believe you just said that!” moment came during the initial visit to his oncologist. We had found a treatment facility for his type of cancer in Little Rock, Arkansas. When we asked that first oncologist about a referral,...

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Using Your Sweet Tooth to Fight Alzheimer’s

From our Care Blog

Let’s be honest, most of us don’t need a reason to enjoy a milkshake, especially in the summer! Now milkshakes may have gotten even better. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, there is now a milkshake for Alzheimer’s patients. It is estimated that 1 in 8 people over the age of 65 are affected by the disease, which is associated with memory loss, decreased judgment and personality changes. The new milkshake treatment, Axona, which is available by prescription only, provides energy to the brain, providing short-term positive effects in cognition and memory. Whether this is an option...

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Disaster Preparedness For Older Adults

From our Care Blog

As nature is hitting us with all forces across the nation; hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, and floods, a key resource for eldercare is an emergency supply kit. Each older adult’s needs and abilities are unique, but every older adult can take important steps to prepare for all kinds of emergencies and put plans in place, even when residing in retirement community. Start by evaluating personal needs when making an emergency plan. A commitment to planning today will help prepare the older adult for any emergency situation. Consider how a disaster might affect your individual needs. • Plan to make it on...

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