In-home
care

Why Wendy Adlerstein, LSW, FirstLight's Executive Director & Co-Owner is the Trusted Voice of Home Care

Wendy Adlerstein, LSW, is Executive Director and Co-Owner of FirstLight Home Care of West Suburban Boston, one of the highest-rated home care practices in the Boston area, recognized for selective hiring, rigorous oversight through a proactive case-management model, and clear family communication. Now in her tenth year leading the office, Wendy oversees the full care operation — from in-home assessments and individualized plans to caregiver training, supervision, and quality checks — allowing her team to deliver concierge-level support that reduces family stress and helps older adults remain safe, independent, and treated with dignity at home. A licensed social worker with...

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Understand 24/7 Care

How 24?Hour Shift Care Works—and When It’s Needed Are you worried about falls, wandering, or missed medications overnight? When a loved one can’t be safely left alone, 24?hour shift home care in the West Suburban Boston area, including services in the the cities and towns like Newton, Needham, and Wellesley, provides an always?awake caregiver team so help is there the second it’s needed. At FirstLight Home Care of West Suburban Boston, we make round?the?clock support simple: no weekly minimums, dementia?trained caregivers, and 24/7 availability. We start with a personalized plan and match your family with a small, consistent team.  We have a robust, professional...

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Why Working with An Agency for Home Care Makes Sense vs. Hiring Directly

There are many advantages of working with an agency like FirstLight vs. hiring a caregiver “privately” or directly. With today's heightened awareness of immigration enforcement, when you hire a Caregiver directly, you are the employer and you are responsible for ensuring that they have authorization to work in the U.S. In talking to prospective clients and families, we sometimes are asked the question, "Couldn’t I find a person and pay them directly?" In these cases, we are not competing with other agencies for providing home care services, but with a seemingly loose and semi-invisible network of private caregivers. While hiring...

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"What is a Live-In?" - a Q&A on Care with Wendy

The eighth in our series, Q&A on Care with Wendy, where our Executive Director and Co-Owner Wendy Adlerstein, LSW, answers frequently asked questions about FirstLight Home Care of West Suburban Boston services. This week she explains how a Live-In works (or in some cases, does not work). Q: What is a Live-In? A: Generally, a Caregiver working a Live-In day must have access to a private bedroom, and be able to get 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, so in many cases, with clients “up and about–maybe needing to go to the bathroom” throughout the night, the Live-In model will, unfortunately,...

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"How are Services Priced?" - a Q&A on Care with Wendy

The seventh in our series, Q&A on Care with Wendy, where our Executive Director and Co-Owner Wendy Adlerstein, LSW, answers frequently asked questions about FirstLight Home Care of West Suburban Boston services. This week she explains how our services are priced. Q: How are services priced and what is included in your rates? A: Generally, care is priced hourly or a daily “Live-In Rate” may be available if the situation and needs can accommodate a Live-In.   Hourly rates are higher for shorter visits (less than 8 hours, and again, less than 4 hours) as short shifts are less attractive...

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"What are the advantages of using an agency vs. hiring privately"? - a Q&A on Care with Wendy

The sixth in our series, Q&A on Care with Wendy, where our Executive Director and Co-Owner Wendy Adlerstein answers frequently asked questions about FirstLight Home Care of West Suburban Boston services. This week she will be discussing the differences in hiring someone privately versus working with an agency. Wendy's description of the hidden risks of hiring an independent or private Caregiver may surprise you. Q: What are the advantages of using an agency like FirstLight vs. hiring a caregiver “privately” or directly? Couldn’t I find a person and pay them directly? A: While hiring a caregiver privately or “under the...

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"What is included in the Rate?" --a Q&A on Care with Wendy

We continue our series-now our fifth post--Q&A on Care with Wendy, where our Executive Director and Co-Owner Wendy Adlerstein answers frequently asked questions about FirstLight Home Care of West Suburban Boston services. This week she will be discussing the behind the scenes of all that is associated with the cost of care. Q: What is included in the rate? A: Generally, care is priced hourly or a daily flat rate may be available if the situation and needs can accommodate a live-in model. Hourly rates are higher for shorter visits as short shifts are less attractive to caregivers and higher pay...

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"How is Care Scheduled and is it Flexible?" - Q&A on Care with Wendy

We continue our series (our fourth post) with Q&A on Care with Wendy, where our Executive Director and Co-Owner Wendy Adlerstein answers frequently asked questions about FirstLight Home Care of West Suburban Boston services. This week she will be discussing the how care is scheduled. Q: How is care scheduled and is it flexible? A: Care is scheduled on an ongoing basis to help to ensure consistency with caregivers. Of course, we understand that life happens and changes need to be made. To help with communication and real-time changes to a schedule, you will be assigned a care coordinator. The care...

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"Do you Guarantee the right fit?" - a Q&A on Care with Wendy

This is the third in our series, Q&A on Care with Wendy, where our Executive Director and Co-Owner Wendy Adlerstein answers frequently asked questions about FirstLight Home Care of West Suburban Boston services. This week she will be discussing the match between a caregiver and client. Q: Do you guarantee the right caregiver fit?A: In order to successfully match a caregiver with a client, we first need to understand the care needs and preferences. Using input from those involved in the care (family members, care managers, resident care directors, discharge planners, etc.) along with what I gather during the initial assessment or home...

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"Who are your Caregivers?" – a Q&A on Care with Wendy

Last week, Wendy answered "What kind of services do you provide?" and this week she will be discussing the people who provide the care - our caregivers. This is the second in our series, Q&A on Care with Wendy, where our Executive Director and Co-Owner, Wendy Adlerstein, LSW, answers frequently asked questions about FirstLight Home Care of West Suburban Boston services. Read weekly to learn what makes our services unique, gain a better understanding of home care in general, and walk away with some questions to add to your list if you are looking for services. Q: Who are your Caregivers?A: Our professional...

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