Halloween is a time for creative costumes, trick-or-treating, and all things ghostly and ghoulish. But for those working in healthcare, it can be a challenge to fully embrace the spirit of the spooky season. The demands of the job can often overshadow the desire to enjoy this time of year. However, with a little planning, healthcare workers can have a safe and enjoyable Halloween, just as much as those they care for. In this Halloween edition of the Dean Healthcare blog, we’ll explore ways to help those working in healthcare have a spook-tacular Halloween!

Getting into the spirit(s) with decor

As the nights draw in and the leaves change colour, autumn is here to stay. A great way to get invested in the change of season is to change the space around you accordingly. It doesn’t need to cost a lot, or take much time, but adding an autumnal twist to your home, such as swapping your usual tea mugs for some adorable pumpkin shaped ones, or adding some candles or ambient lighting to your walls and sideboards, can help you better accept the darker, cooler nights, as well as put you in the right mind frame to embrace the spooky season. You might even want to consider creating your own décor too to fill an evening with fun, including; pumpkin carving, cutting and sticking paper bats to the inside of your lampshades or collecting and creating a pinecone sideboard centrepiece to your living space. What’s great about autumnal DIY and décor is a lot of the materials can be naturally sourced and take little time to create a big impact.

Baking autumnal treats or seasonal meals

At this time of year, there is a plethora of seasonal produce, such as pumpkin, squash, carrots, sweet potato and more, that can be incorporated into home baking or a meal, that will get you into the festivities. If you’re the type that likes to cook meals on an evening, consider these autumnal twists on some old classics that can be made in no time at all!

• Making a cottage or shepherds pie, swap regular potato for sweet potato for a healthy, more nutrient and equally filling mash alternative
• Carved some Halloween pumpkins? Use the hollowed innards and seeds to make a delicious, quick Pumpkin soup or tasty roasted pumpkin seeds to sprinkle on top
• Roasting delicious root vegetables requires little preparation. Coat your veg in an oil of your choice, add a dash of herbs and spices and add to any meal
• If you’re one for breakfast, sprinkling some cinnamon on top of your cereal, yoghurt or muesli will make for a great autumnal twist on an everyday bog-standard munch

Stay in and get lazy with a movie marathon

For those who might not enjoy cooking, or simply find they lack the energy to get creative in the kitchen after a long days work, it’s okay to feel lazy and put your feet up when you get home! The change in weather makes the perfect excuse to put on comfortable clothes, light a candle, get comfy and binge-view your favourite TV shows or some Halloween classics!

According to Good Housekeeping, some of the best adult Halloween movies you should consider this season include; Halloween (1978), Rosemary’s Baby (1968), Poltergeist (1982), Psycho (1960) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and The Conjuring (2013).

And for more family-friendly viewing (or those who aren’t so keen on guts and gore) some of the most beloved Halloween films for all ages include; Hocus Pocus (1993), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), E.T The Extra Terrestrial (1982), Coraline (2009) Ghostbusters (1984) and Beetlejuice (1984).

Activitiesfor work

It’s also possible to get into the Halloween spirit at work as a healthcare worker! Being mindful of how those you care for might react to changes in their environment is paramount, but there are a range of activities or twists on daily tasks and responsibilities that can help residents and staff to get excited about Autumn and Halloween.

Activities could include; supporting residents to create and put up seasonal décor. Carving or painting onto pumpkins to enjoy creativity and mindfulness. Choosing ‘beware who you scare’ posters to place in windows to warn trick-or-treaters of the importance of not scaring those who may be more vulnerable, s as well as watching films like the family-friendly ones mentioned above or learning more about Halloween and the reasons people celebrate it.

Tasks can include; adding seasonal tweaks to a weekly shopping list such as autumnal produce as well as creating and allocating a Halloween budget towards decorations, crafts or activities to promote independence and problem-solving skills.

We hope you’ve found some of this information explored in today’s blog to be interesting and help you to get into the ‘spooky’ spirit as a care worker. Working in and around care can still provide opportunities to enjoy the season just like any other and its important to use this time to allow for additional self-care and support.

If you‘d like more information on Halloween in Healthcare, you’ll want to read our previous Halloween edition of the Dean Healthcare blog where we looked at ways to make Halloween safe and enjoyable for those in care and nursing homes, which you can read more about HERE.