When Adriana Hutchings’ mother was diagnosed with leukemia in 2003, Adriana was living in Seattle and building an illustrious career. With no other family nearby, Hutchings quit her job, sold her home and moved to Olympia to take care of her mother. She was pregnant with her first son and suddenly thrust into the role of being a full-time caregiver. A short time later her grandmother was diagnosed with dementia and Adriana was truly the definition of the “sandwich generation.” While attempting to raise her own family and providing home care in Olympia for her elderly relatives she felt unprepared and often isolated. “I stayed up all night with Google to get some answers to the many questions that I had,” Adriana tells me. “I didn’t know where to begin and the information available on the internet was often contradictory and not always helpful.”
Today Adriana works for FirstLight Home Care and is a certified home caregiver. “When I met Sarah and Greg Lane, co-owners of FirstLight and found out what they were doing for people, I had to work for them.” Adriana goes on to explain, “Sarah and Greg are providing top-notch care in the community. I didn’t even know about paid home care when I was caring for my own relatives.” Adriana doesn’t regret the choice she made to care for her mother, but knows it could have been made far easier with the support and resources that FirstLight Home Care now has available.
FirstLight Home Care provides many services from full-time care giving to part-time respite care and will even run errands for busy families. Sarah recognizes that they may not be the appropriate care plan in every situation. In some cases a family member is available to provide care or perhaps there isn’t money in the budget for outside help. As a result, FirstLight has launched The Family Learning Center, a free resource on their website.
As Adriana explains, “Greg and Sarah are putting their money where their mouth is by providing free information to our community.” As Adriana tells me, “The Family Learning Center is lifeline for many families who don’t know where to begin looking for information.”
The free resource includes content that FirstLight Home Care uses to train their own staff. The Institute for Professional Care Education (IPCED) is a Washington based company located in Vancouver. IPCED is approved by DSHS meaning users are getting the same quality information that licensed and certified caregivers receive while in training.
Filled with videos and tutorials, the website can provide a wealth of free information to someone that has been thrust into a new phase of life. Sarah says, “We want family caregivers to feel supported and have a place to go to get some free and valuable information.” FirstLight pays a monthly fee for the content but passes the service along at no charge to the community.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association caregivers can be the “invisible victims” of the disease. Sarah wants to help all caregivers whether or not they have chosen to use the services of FirstLight Home Care. As she explains, “We like to say that caring is our calling but even if we aren’t a part of a family’s care plan, we want to be there to support them.”
The website has very practical information on diet, nutrition and correct lifting techniques. Someone with no training in the position of having to shower a family member can be taught to do it safely so they won’t hurt their family member or themselves. Other videos can help with re-directing the negative behaviors that can be associated with Alzheimer’s disease. These patients often frustrate their family members by repeating themselves or engaging in difficult, even combative actions. “The tutorials on the website can help caregivers to build a toolbox that will enable them to continue to care for a loved one in their own home,” says Sarah. In many cases the home is the best place for someone experiencing memory issues. As Sarah explains, “They have lost so much independence and the ability to stay in their own home can provide comfort and a more stable environment.”
The videos on daily care, memory care and first-aid are informational and give caregivers confidence that they are doing things properly for their spouse, parent or other loved one. The Family Learning Center requires only a quick registration and is available free to the community. For more information on this free content or to get more details about FirstLight Home Care’s services, visit their website.
FirstLight Home Care
921 Lakeridge Way SW, Suite 203
Olympia, WA 98502
360-489-1621
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