Skip to main content

How Halloween Can Heighten the Effects of Dementia and Steps to Keep Your Loved One Safe

There’s certainly no age limit in experiencing the excitement of Halloween! Older adults generally are thrilled by visits from trick-or-treaters, together with the opportunity to savor fall treats and fun decorations. Nevertheless, if a senior is dealing with the effects of dementia, certain elements of the Halloween season might be downright frightening. Without warning, there are unanticipated surprises, visitors, and changes to routine, and it may be challenging to separate fantasy from reality.

Just picture, in your everyday life, if Halloween was a foreign concept. You head into a popular department store and are greeted by larger-than-life inflatable, glowing witches, ghosts, and hairy spiders. In the section where you generally find housewares, the shelves are stocked instead with spooky masks, fake blood, and skeletons. Has the world gone mad?

Naturally, the confusion, anxiety, and fear inherent in dementia may be heightened at this time of year, and it’s necessary for friends and family to take steps to help cherished older adults maintain a sense of calm and routine. Alzheimer’s Universe provides the following suggestions:

  • Reduce decorations in the older adult’s home, or cut them out altogether. In particular, those with flashing lights and disruptive noises can cause your loved one to become scared enough to leave the home.
  • If trick-or-treaters could cause anxiety for the older adult, leave a full bowl of candy out on the porch with a note for kids to take one. Or alternatively, turn the porch light off so families know the home is not handing out candy this year.
  • If feasible and agreeable to the older adult, visit another family member or friend who lives in a rural area free from trick-or-treaters for the evening.
  • If the senior lives alone, make sure that a relative, friend, or professional caregiver, like those at Enhanced Home Care, is readily available to stay with the individual.

If the senior becomes distressed or agitated in spite of taking the precautions above, try these guidelines from the National Institute on Aging:

  • Help the older adult move into a different room for a diversion from the cause of agitation.
  • Speak in a peaceful, calm voice, and let the senior know she or he is safe and that all is well.
  • Turn on soft music and bring out an activity that the individual especially enjoys.

With some upfront planning, people who have dementia can stay calm and content through the entire Halloween season. The highly trained care team at Enhanced Home Care is always on hand to provide strategies to help with the numerous complexities of dementia, and to partner with families with professional in-home care – as much or as little as needed, and consistently provided with compassion, patience, and skill. Contact us at 913-327-0000 for additional information about our trusted dementia care in Overland Park and the surrounding communities.

The post How Halloween Can Heighten the Effects of Dementia and Steps to Keep Your Loved One Safe appeared first on Enhanced Home Care.



from Blog – Enhanced Home Care https://ift.tt/2NePSSC
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Connection Between Aging, Exercise, and Healthy Lungs

Enjoying a long and healthy retirement requires taking good care of yourself. While many people focus on living a heart-smart lifestyle, taking proactive steps to maintain healthy lungs is essential, too. As we age, the lungs become weaker and less flexible. This can contribute to a variety of diseases and chronic health conditions. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute , lung-related illnesses are the 3rd leading cause of death in this country. That includes lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma—adding up to nearly 235,000 deaths a year. Here are a few tips you can use to keep your lungs healthy: Stop smoking. Talk with your primary care physician about smoking cessation programs. Avoid secondhand smoke. Research shows it can be just as deadly as being a smoker. Stay away from harsh chemicals. It’s important to avoid breathing in damaging fumes (e.g., home cleaners and weed killers). Prevent infections. Many infections can lead to
Post a Comment
Read more

How You Can Join the Fight Against Alzheimer’s

World Alzheimer’s Month in September is an opportunity to raise awareness about this complex disease and to challenge the stigmas surrounding dementia. Launched in 2012, the awareness month spotlights the fact that 2 out of every 3 people globally believe there is little understanding of dementia in their countries. More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s or another dementia and it is the 6 th leading cause of death in the US, according to the Alzheimer’s Association’s annual report. With the senior population growing quickly, Alzheimer’s and dementia cases will continue to increase as well, unless researchers can find a cure. This upcoming Monday, Sept. 21, is World Alzheimer’s Day, a call to action for all of us to educate ourselves on how to take preventative steps, identify symptoms and support loved ones who have been diagnosed. Read more below to learn how to join the fight to end Alzheimer’s disease. Know the Warning Signs Detecting Alzheimer’s disease e
Post a Comment
Read more

Film Screening at Samvedna Senior Care

On 30th September, 2019, Samvedna Senior Care Foundation hosted the 2nd film festival of generations in association with Heidelberg University, Germany. The film Sputnik Moment – 30 years and beyond was screened at our senior citizen centre in Gurgaon for our members and staff. The film highlighted how senior citizens in Germany and the US were taking up second careers to fill their time, engage meaningfully and also get support through additional income. Post the screening Dr. Martin Gieselmann, Executive Secretary, SAI, Heidelberg University and Dr. Constanze, Coordinator DAAD Project, Heidelberg University along with our team engaged with the audience in an interesting discussion on the Indian scenario. Members shared that in India it is not easy for senior citizens to pick up jobs after retirement, however it was interesting to see that many in the audience did have jobs post retirement. They also spoke about stereotypes and social attitudes towards ageing and shared their per
Post a Comment
Read more