Happy Halloween - Tips to ensure a safe and happy Halloween for the elderly:-

It’s that time of year again when ghosts and ghouls roam the streets, witches brew their magic potions, and the neighbourhood kids go knocking on doors trick or treating. For most of us, Halloween is a hauntingly, spooktacular time for carving pumpkins or turnip lanterns and dressing up in devilish costumes in order to knock on neighbours doors and scare them into offering ‘treats’ such as money or sweets in return for not having ‘tricks’ played on them. For most people, this is a fun event which is enjoyed by many, however, please spare a thought for some elderly people who may not find these events as joyous as the rest of us

For some, especially those who may be living with dementia, physical or mental disabilities, or other types of illness, Halloween may instil fear, panic or other negative feelings and can be a contributory factor for falls, heart issues and other serious accidents or incidents. For the elderly, especially those who are living alone, a knock at the door can be an intimidating and worrying experience on any given day – never mind on Halloween, and having groups of people constantly knocking on your door at night could become an issue

To ensure that a good time is had by all, we’ve put together a few tips to make sure that this Halloween is a safe and happy occasion!

• Don’t leave an elderly person living with dementia or disabilities home alone on Halloween

• Help them answer the door and hand out sweets if they wish

• If you are going trick or treating, only knock on the houses of people who you know are taking part in the celebrations

• If you know that the people living at a certain house are elderly or frail then you should avoid knocking on their door

• Only knock once. If there’s no reply then do not keep knocking

• Respect the wishes of the elderly home owner. If they don’t want to take part don’t react by shouting or throwing objects at their home

Advice for the elderly

• If convenient, place sweets in a bowl outside your door

• Arrange for friends or family to visit on Halloween night – or you can visit them instead

• If answering the door, take your time

• Always put the door chain on and look out of the window or spy hole to see who is there before opening the door

• Take particular care if there is more than one person on your doorstep

• If you feel scared or intimidated in any way, do not answer the door

• In the event of anti-social behaviour or other intimidating acts, pick up the phone and ask family or friends to come round, or call the police

Above all, we at Dandelion Home Care hope you all enjoy this festive occasion!