Halloween Can Be Extra Scary for Folks With Dementia. An Expert Offers Caregiver Tips

October 27, 2024
Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

Halloween is meant to be a spooky season, but it can be downright terrifying to someone suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

“Halloween is full of scary sights and frightful sounds that create additional challenges for someone living with dementia, which is why being a proactive caregiver is so important,” said Jennifer Reeder, director of educational and social services at the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA). “Following a few quick and easy steps can help keep the ‘Happy’ in ‘Happy Halloween’ for someone living with dementia on October 31.”

The AFA offers the following tips for caregivers of people with dementia:

Avoid interactive or frightening decorations. Halloween decorations that talk, scream, move, flash or flicker can be distressing for people with dementia, particularly if they’re activated when someone passes by them. Even scary decorations like skeletons, witches, monsters and cobwebs can be upsetting. Stay with neutral seasonal decorations like pumpkins or fall leaves.

Help the person relax. Soothing music and quiet activities like reading can help someone living with dementia remain calm, even as costumed strangers roam the streets. Be ready to offer calming reassurance.

Make your own Halloween tweaks. Replace candy with fruit or another healthy snack, as loads of sugar can increase agitation. Reminisce with old family pictures of Halloween, paint pumpkins together or watch a non-threatening show about the holiday. Focus on what the person likes to do now and what they’re able to do.

Don’t leave your loved one alone during trick-or-treating. Strangers continually knocking on the door in costumes can be potentially frightening, confusing and disruptive. It can also be a safety risk for a person with dementia to hand out candy unaided. If the person wants to hand out candy, make sure someone is there to help them, and never invite trick-or-treaters inside unless you know them.

Keep the lights on. A dark home gives the impression that no one is inside, inviting the attention of burglars and vandals. Have interior and exterior lights lit, and if you like, leave candy out on the doorstep with a sign that says, “Please Take One.”

SOURCE: Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, news release, Oct. 24, 2024

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