Radfield Home Care warns against spooky surprises

Radfield Home Care raises awareness of the stress winter celebrations can put on vulnerable elderly people.

Halloween might have passed, but Radfield Home Care still wants people to be aware of the terrifying impact the spooky celebration can have on the elderly and unwell in our communities.

This year, the home care franchise launched its very own dementia awareness sticker to raise awareness of how frightening Halloween can be for those who live with dementia and Alzheimer’s, as they can perceive the world very differently than normal. The poster, which asks trick or treaters not to call at the house, has also been designed for elderly people who are alone and vulnerable at this particular time of year. Founder and franchisor of Radfield Home Care, Dr Hannah MacKechnie, explains why it can be so alarming for clients.

“Halloween can prove to be a scary time for people living with dementia or physical limitations. Having strangers at the door and the fear of tricks being carried out can be very stressful. For older clients with dementia, Halloween costumes and the different noises of young people roaming the streets may cause an increase in disorientation and fear as they struggle to understand the altered world around them, and won’t necessarily have the cognitive ability to understand that it is time-limited.”

Radfield distributed the poster to its clients with the illnesses or who live alone to ensure that they were kept as happy and safe as possible during the celebrations. A free copy was also made available on its website so that those who have family members, friends or neighbours who are vulnerable could access it too. The poster was designed to politely ask trick or treaters not to call at the house to minimise the disruption to its clients’ routines.

MacKechnie added:

“It is so important as communities that we support and protect our older residents and being thoughtful and considerate at this time can make a significant difference to an individual’s sense of well-being and safety.”