Tips for Taking Care of Elderly Parents: Halloween Safety

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Many's the dark and gloomy night that this Sandwich Generation granny nanny has sung,

Abide with me;
fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide;
When other helpers fail, and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

I know some of my elderly parents and relatives also feel like this at times when it is dark, they are alone, and a strange noise is heard outside. Especially right now, when the days are growing shorter, the nights darker, Halloween is right around the corner, and daylight savings time is chasing it – on November 6. It's a good time to give them a call in the evening and see how they are doing – emotionally as well as in general.

With the time change coming, you might also set up a time with them to pop over and change the batteries in their smoke detectors, check the light bulbs in the porch lights, make sure their locks are all working well, and have a chat about Halloween safety precautions. While some senior citizens, like me, love to hand out Christian encouragement along with yummy goodies to the kids on Halloween, many more prefer not to participate in it for safety reasons. Remind them to leave the porch light off, and only have dim lights in the front windows. Also be sure they have good curtains that are easy to close on all the windows. Most kids will respect this tiime-honored way of saying "no treats tonight" and head on to the next house. It's a good idea, though, to remind them to make sure the doors are locked up securely (did you see Thursday's guest post, Senior Citizen Home Safety Tips For the Sandwich Generation Caring for Aging Parents Near or Far? 🙂 ) and windows shut and locked as well.

How about you and your Sandwich Generation seniors? What suggestions do you have for us for Halloween security? We'd love to hear.