Are you looking for a spook-tacular way to safely celebrate Halloween with your elderly parent this weekend? FirstLight Home Care has these franken-tastic ideas to make this Halloween the best.
Adorn festive pumpkins. Skip carving a pumpkin this year – the trend is to paint them. It’s not only safer, but there is less mess, and It is easier for everyone, regardless of age, to join the fun.
Decorate the house. Set out your decorated pumpkins and add wreaths of fall foliage, spooky cobwebs, spooky figurines, bats, and spiders. Make it special, but also be sure it is safe for your elderly parent.
- Make certain all indoor and outdoor walkways are clear of decorations and other obstacles and that they are well lit.
- Do not place window decorations that block the light or view of the front door.
- Keep carved pumpkins outside, and use flameless candles to light them.
Enjoy a not-too-scary movie night. Make some tasty (and even healthy) treats, wrap up in a blanket and enjoy some not-too-scary movies. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Little Shop of Horrors
- Ghostbusters
- Casper
- Edward Scissorhands
- Beetlejuice
- Frankenweenie
- Young Frankenstein
Be safe with trick-or-treat during COVID-19. Handing out candy to the kids in your neighborhood is fun but doing so during COVID-19 might be too scary for your elderly parent. One option is to leave a bowl of candy outside the door and encourage them to watch from the window as families stroll the block dressed up in their costumes. When you run out of candy, put out a “Sorry, No More Sweets” sign so families can move to the next house.
Dress up and have some fun. The best part about Halloween…the costumes. If your elderly parent wants to don a costume, that is great. Assist them with their costume and let them show it off on Halloween night.
- Keep it simple. Complicated clothing may make it difficult to walk and/or manage trips to the restroom.
- Costumes for seniors should be safe and comfortable to wear and should not inhibit your caregiving duties.
- Avoid masks, if possible.
- Costumes, wigs and accessories should be fire-resistant.
Keep it low key. Halloween is a fun holiday but for an elderly parent living with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, confusion and agitation can be heightened during this time. Excessive noise, the coming and going of strangers, and costumes can be disorienting for some. It is okay to keep things simple and just spend the evening together enjoying each other’s company. Read these additional Halloween safety tips from Alzheimer’s Universe.
Our FirstLight® Companion Care Services provides support for a few hours, or even overnight. We can be there to help distribute Halloween candy and, in between trick-or-treaters, we can share a conversation, play games, or watch their favorite television shows. Contact our local FirstLight office to learn more about our services.