As we just saw, Halloween is a wonderful holiday, especially for youngsters. But for seniors, it can be somewhat difficult, even traumatic. There are so many variables: strangers coming to your door when you live alone and are elderly; being frightened by costumes; not hearing properly what they are saying or just generally not being aware of the night of Halloween. So for future years, consider something such as Halloween Helpers.
This was created with the goal of not only protecting seniors but actually helping them have fun. Ultimately the kids who come by are just trying to have a bit of fun.
One thing that the Halloween Helpers can do is decorate homes of seniors and just spend time with them on the night. With potential of dementia or physical disabilities, it is important to keep them safe but perhaps equally important to help them enjoy the night. Perhaps it will bring back positive memories from when they were young about Halloween, or from when they had little kids.
A lot of this protection is easy if one is prepared. Some tips from the organization include:
1. Ensuring all decorations are in no way blocking the view of the front doorway
2. Put up night lights in doorways and halls
3. Any carved pumpkins should only be outside and
4. Make sure no decorations are potentially hazardous (i.e. with flames)
There is so much that can be done to turn this night into a fun one for seniors as well as youngsters. Let’s get back to being a community and involve everyone as per their needs.