How to Care for Your Loved Ones During Halloween?

Aging brings many new challenges. Here we will discuss how to celebrate Halloween with an elderly adult suffering from Alzheimer’s.

At Best at Home Caregiving, we care for your loved ones, allowing them to remain in the comfort of their own home.

As caregivers of older adults, we know that those with Alzheimer’s and related dementia experience anxiety and agitation more easily and frequently than others.

For this reason, celebrations like Halloween may require some changes to ensure they don’t experience frustration or rage. Imagine the situation. You are an older adult and have trouble remembering simple things and sometimes the faces and names of your family members with whom you live daily. Now, combine that with unfamiliar faces in costumes knocking on your door and asking for candy.

This experience could quickly become overwhelming.

We have prepared some tips and ideas so that you can celebrate this holiday while having fun in the best way possible so that the experience is not harmful to seniors.

Details To Consider

As we mentioned, some seniors have trouble recognizing people, even those with whom they share the most time. So imagine how they will feel when faced with new people wearing costumes and masks. It can cause your senior loved one to experience confusion, and they may react as if they are frightened by those around them.

On this holiday, it is customary to decorate the house. This decoration can be frightening and affect the furniture layout within a home, creating a confusing environment. All these elements can disorient someone with Alzheimer’s and give them a feeling that they are no longer at home.

For people with Alzheimer’s, the slightest changes in their environment can cause confusion, which makes it easier to misinterpret what is happening. This celebration adds scary decorations, such as skeletons, motion-activated animatronics, cobwebs, dark candles, and other details custom to this holiday.  A person with dementia will have changes in visual perception, and the eerie glow these decorations project can cause great anxiety.

So How Can you Celebrate Safely?

⦁ Lower your expectations and know your loved one may experience different stressors and triggers.

⦁ Make light preparations with your senior. Discuss what will happen, and allow them to share their thoughts.

⦁ Consider new traditions, such as an autumn walk.

⦁ Avoid placing decorations or items on the floor, as they may cause falls or trips.

⦁ Limit ornaments as they can cause confusion and agitation.

⦁ Avoid voice- or motion-activated decorations where possible.

⦁ A good yardstick to measure how scary the decorations are for minor children will likely scare those with dementia.

⦁ Minimize interruptions by leaving a note on the candy bowl to prevent trick-or-treaters from ringing and scaring your senior.

⦁ Prepare the movie or content you will watch together. Consider a film without horror and jump scares.

Halloween Activities for People with Dementia

⦁ If you notice that your loved one is quiet, encourage them to hand out the candy to the children –  be sure to supervise them at all times.

⦁ Find recipes, cook a pumpkin pie, decorate sugar cookies, paint, or carve a pumpkin together.

⦁ Hands-on, repetitive activities are great for older adults. It gives them control over their actions and a purpose. For example, you can fill bags with candy or paint-themed mandalas.

If, for some reason, they leave home and must go somewhere that their loved one refuses to enter or exit, be patient, and explain the situation. Do not force the older adult to act. Instead, try to cover up what is frightening them and take them back to where they feel safe.

Do your parents need help with daily chores or preparing and cooking meals? Or do they need assistance with hygiene and other daily tasks? These are the questions you should consider before hiring a caregiver.

Contact us at 844-544- (BEST) 2378. Our care managers will provide you with the plan you and your loved ones need. Based on your needs, we will provide you with the best in-home caregiver to care for and support your loved ones.