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Locals can hire Halloween helpers to keep seniors safe

October 23, 2017

While seniors may love to see children in costumes on Halloween night, the constant door knocking, masked visitors and unfamiliar faces can be intimidating. After all, one-third of all seniors who live at home live alone, and most are women.

That's why Visiting Angels, one of the nation's largest in-home senior care companies with a local office, offers seniors and their families a chance to hire a Halloween helper Tuesday, Oct. 31.

If family can't be with their senior loved one that night, Visiting Angels' Halloween helpers make it possible for seniors to experience the fun (not the fear) of the holiday.

Halloween helpers shop for candy, help prepare seniors' homes for a safe Halloween, answer the door, help hand out candy to trick-or-treaters and simply provide seniors peace of mind during the flood of front-door company.

Checklist for Halloween helpers:

  • Provide companionship and a sense of security so any possible troublemakers get the idea more than one person is living in the home.
  • Never leave a senior with dementia or physical limitations home alone on Halloween – they are more sensitive to noises and unfamiliar faces.
  • Keep guests outside - never let an unknown trick-or-treater inside to use the bathroom or make a phone call.
  • Turn on interior and exterior lights during trick-or-treating hours even if no one is home or if the senior chooses not to answer the door. While a dark home may signal to trick-or-treaters that there is no candy, it also tells vandals the house could be empty.
  • Stay inside while handing out candy.
  • Post a sign on the door that says "Sorry, no more candy," when the goodies run out.

Senior Halloween safety tips:

  • Make sure all floors, entryways and porches are free from decorations.
  • Remove any Halloween décor that involves flames, such as lit pumpkins, from outside stairs and footpaths. This is a fire hazard for the dozens of kids stopping by with tails and capes.
  • Place carved pumpkins outside to keep the smell out and bugs away.
  • Add night lights to hallways, walkways and rooms.
  • Avoid window decorations that block light or the view of the front entry.
  • Don't play music outside for Halloween guests - be aware of your surroundings.

For more information, call 302-329-9475 or go to www.visitingangels.com.

 

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