Radfield Home Care clients get into the spirit of Halloween

It’s official that Halloween is now a major celebration in the UK with children enjoying ‘trick or treat’ and visiting their neighbours for sweets and treats on the 31st October.

Children excitedly dress up in costumes with many choosing to be mini zombies, witches and ghosts; a real fun family evening. The anticipation of receiving a large bag of sweets is enough for any child to be excited about, and is seen, for most as a light hearted occasion centred around children.

However, few realise that for some it can be an evening of significant worry and stress with a knock at the door being extremely intimidating for older, more vulnerable people, who may be cautious of strangers, or unexpected visitors.

Sonya Cole, Registered Care Manager for the Shrewsbury branch explains:

“We have one client who can’t reach the front door very quickly, as they rely on a frame to walk. So, hearing a knock at the door and knowing that she can’t reach it in time to ‘trick or treaters’ adds enormous anxiety and fear to her evening. Knowing how frightening this is for her, we arranged for a carer to sit with the client for a couple of hours, to answer the door and give out sweets to the children calling, provided great comfort.”

Sonya commented, “For some of our clients who do enjoy the spirit of Halloween but are unable to get out and about, we decided it would nice to bring a bit of Halloween to them, and made sure they all had pumpkins to make. They thoroughly enjoyed it, and as our carers helped each one to make their pumpkin, they all laughed and said it brought back lots of childhood memories. Our cares also commented on how nice it was do so something creative with our clients and great to see them enjoying themselves. Seeing our clients happy, bringing smiles to their faces is what caring is all about!”

Judy, a wonderful lady and Radfield client living in Shrewsbury commented, “I really enjoyed carving the pumpkin with Becky, it took me back to when she I was a child and used to create scary pumpkins on Halloween.” When the pumpkin was finished, Judith laughed and joked, “I wouldn’t want to meet him in the dark outside!”

If you would like more information about a career in care with Radfield, then please don’t hesitate to call the office for a chat about the care role. The office number is 01743 245 555 or alternatively email [email protected].