Costumed visitors can be a Halloween challenge

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While seniors may love to see children in costumes on Halloween night, the constant door knocking, masked
visitors and unfamiliar faces can be intimidating for many seniors who live at home alone.
Visiting Angels, an in-home care company for seniors offers seniors and their families a chance to hire a
"Halloween Greeter" on Oct. 31. If family and/or friends can’t be with their senior loved one
that night, the hired greeters can assist seniors to experience the fun, but not the fear of the
holiday.
Whether commercially hired or a family member or friend can assist seniors by shopping for candy,
preparing the home and handing out the goodies for the costumed visitors.
Having someone else in the home not only provides companionship but also adds a layer of protection.
Someone with dementia or other physical limitations should not be home alone on Halloween.
Other tips offered can also apply to all residents. Those include:
• Keep guests outside – never let an unknown trick-or-treater into your home to use the bathroom or make
a phone call
• Don’t go dark – leave your interior and exterior lights on during trick-or-treating hours even if you
will not be home, or you choose 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. And, if you have a door chain, keep it in place while handing out
goodies
• When your candy runs out, put a sign on the door that says "Sorry, No More Candy"
• Make sure all floors, entry ways and porches are free from decorations
• Remove any Halloween d√©cor that involves flames, such as a lit pumpkin, 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

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