Caring For Those With Dementia During Halloween

Living with dementia can be a scary thing at the best of times, so those with dementia may find things confusing and upsetting during Halloween. 

If you’re a nurse or family member caring for someone with dementia and you’re worried about how they’ll handle unfamiliar sights and sounds this year, read on for a short guide to how we can help our loved ones through it while still having fun.

Limit the Changes

As you’ll know, sudden changes can be scary for anyone, and people with dementia feel safest when they can keep to their regular routine. Often, people with dementia can be upset by as little as a knickknack being put in the wrong place.

Something special for Halloween might be happening where they live, but minimizing changes may help to reduce their confusion and help them feel safe.

For example, if you’re planning a special main course for a Halloween dinner, try to include something familiar, such as a yummy apple pie for dessert.

Make Their Space Safe

Maybe you’re keeping Halloween out of their home this year and restricting it to the outside. If so, you might still be worried about the spooky sounds, costumes, and goings-on outside that may put the person you care for on edge. You can help them feel safer and more at peace by making their indoor space more relaxing. There are some easy ways to do this that might work anytime. 

The first thing is to discreetly close the blinds early in the evening so the person you care for isn’t disturbed by the spooky costumes outside. To divert their attention from the windows, you might suggest carving pumpkins, making Halloween treats, or watching a movie, such as Hocus Pocus. If they don’t feel like a movie, you could play relaxing music or just something familiar.

You can also make their environment cozier by choosing soft and warm lighting. Another thing that may reduce anxiety is a diffuser that gives out comforting scents, such as cinnamon or vanilla.

If you’re planning a Halloween-themed get-together, you could also reconsider Halloween costumes to make them less overwhelming. For example, you could go easy on the makeup so it doesn’t alarm the person you care for. Dressing up can be a lot of fun, but it will still be fun if we take the designs down a notch and keep things simple.

Minimize Surprises

If you’re still planning on having a Halloween get-together, you might want to scale back the scary surprises, costumes, and decorations. Remember that what might be fun for the rest of us can be incredibly confusing and scary for someone with dementia. So, try to keep things fun and friendly by cutting out the scary costumes and makeup. And keep the flashing lights to a minimum too.

Another good idea is to make sure there is a calm, quiet, relaxing space where the person you’re caring for can go if things get a bit overwhelming. Their bedroom, for instance. Make their bedroom a no-go zone for anyone else so it can be a safe and protected place for them.

Minimize Knocks At The Door

Unexpected noises, such as doorbell chimes and knocks at the door, can startle people with dementia. I know people will be trick-or-treating, and you can’t exactly stop anyone from knocking on your door. However, you can leave a reasonable note on your door asking trick-or-treaters not to knock since you won’t be answering. 

If you still want to share some treats, you can also leave a bowl of candy out by the door.

Alternatively, giving out candy at Halloween could bring back treasured memories for the person you care for. You could look into doing it together at the door, so you can keep an eye on them for a fun experience.

Carry Out a “Recon Mission”

Perhaps the person you care for loves to take walks around their neighbourhood. It would be a good idea to first walk the route without them, just to check that there aren’t any decorations that they might find too disturbing. By carrying out a little “recon mission” you can devise a route that can avoid homes whose decorations might prove a little overwhelming for the person you care for.

The Takeaway

People living with dementia can find Halloween a disorienting time of year with all the exciting comings and goings, unusual sounds, people knocking at the door through the evening, and overwhelming costumes and makeup. And a fun get-together could be frightening for them.

Nevertheless, we can still have fun this Halloween. All we have to do is try to see the world through the eyes of the people we care for and make some adjustments, which shouldn’t be too hard… because we care about them and their peace of mind.