SUNNYSIDE, Wash.- Halloween night generally means candy. Whether that is taking the kids trick-or-treating, trunk-or-treating or even to the store to get their favorites.
But some people have to celebrate differently.
86-year-old Barbara Merz spent her Halloween at her doorstep in Sunnyside Assisted Living. She’s lived there for three years and knows she could celebrate the holiday on her own.
“It’s a very safe place to be, which I would not be at home by myself,” she says. “Because once you have a stroke or heart attack, you’re prone to have another.”
Instead of just staying inside or putting on a movie, her retirement community brought Halloween inside the center.
Families in their costumes roamed the halls of the building, trick-or-treating indoors. The SAL residents didn’t have to leave their homes to celebrate.
“It’s a social outlet and that’s great for everybody, the kids, the grown-ups, everybody,” says George Stewart, another resident at the facility.
He sat just outside his door at the corner of the hallway, watching the caravan of costumes approach him for candy. Normally, he wouldn’t be doing anything special for the day.
“Halloween, I get ready to turn the clocks back and get an extra hour of sleep,” he says.
Merz is used to handing out candy on Halloween. She spent over 30 years in schools as a speech pathologist talking to kids every day.
“You could tell that the kids are enjoying it and we’re enjoying seeing them,” she says. “It’s to our benefit because kids inspire people who are grandma age.”
The costumes did not disappoint this Halloween. Merz was in awe of an inflatable Stay Puft Marshmallow attire, while Stewart loved a couple costumes of skeletons.
Even the facility’s employees got in on the fun. One was dressed as a mermaid, even adding glitter in his hair.
“It’s nice for the kids to open the door and see someone they feel comfortable with,” says Merz. “It’s encouraging to see the smiles.”
Halloween isn’t the only holiday Sunnyside Assisted Living celebrates in style. The facility has hosted Thanksgiving and Christmas events, and even branches out to Cinco de Mayo.
One of the residents’ favorites is a recreation of prom in June. SAL staff say it’s put on because some of their residents never experienced prom. Stewart says he takes full advantage of the festivities.
“I had two prom dates, so I still got to go with them,” he says with a laugh.
All the festivities help the residents stay young, which Merz says is the most important part.
“Life happens and when all of these milestones are met, people who are 86 feel better about life,” she says.
