Halloween and dementia: Five tips for family caregivers

NEW YORK — With Halloween this week, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America is offering five tips for family caregivers to help their loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia-related illnesses remain comfortable and safe. 

“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 AFA’s Director of Educational & Social Services Jennifer Reeder.  “Following a few quick and easy steps can help keep the happy in ‘Happy Halloween’ for someone living with dementia on Oct. 31.” 

AFA advises family caregivers to consider the following five tips:

Avoid interactive or frightening decorations. Decorations that talk or scream when someone passes by them can be distressing for those living with dementia. The sights and sounds of noisy decorative figures, as well as those decorations with flashing or flickering lights, might cause the individual to wander, possibly away from their own home. Fake skeletons, cobwebs, witches and monsters, even if non-interactive, can potentially be upsetting for someone living with a cognitive impairment, as they perceive them as real. Stay with more neutral seasonal decorations, such as pumpkins or fall leaves. 

Help the person relax. Halloween is full of distractions and stimuli, such as costumed strangers walking around and loud noises, which can be upsetting or frightening to someone living with dementia. Playing soothing music, engaging in a quiet activity such as reading a book together, and calming reassurance are all ways to help your loved one if they become agitated.

Adapt the celebration. Replace candy with fruit or another healthy snack; too much sugar intake could increase agitation. Reminisce by looking at old family pictures of Halloween events, paint pumpkins together, or watch a non-threatening program about Halloween if they want to participate. Focus on what the person can and likes to do now, rather than what they used to do before the onset of dementia.

Don’t leave your loved one alone to give out candy. Having strangers continually knocking on the door in costumes can potentially be frightening, confusing and disruptive to someone living with a dementia-related illness. It can also be a safety risk. If the person wants to participate in giving out candy, have someone there to help them or make arrangements for the person to go to a relative or friend’s house to engage with trick or treaters. Never invite trick or treaters into the home unless the person knocking is someone you know.   

Keep the lights on in your home. A dark home gives the impression that no one is inside, thus making it more inviting for burglars or vandals. Have interior and exterior lights lit. Keep candy outside your door for trick-or-treaters with a sign that says “Please Take One.”

For more information, visit alzfdn.org.