Halloween Costume Ideas for Those Who Use Walkers

• Go as a grocery shopper. You could use the walker as part of a shopping cart and be shopping.
• Or cover the walker with brown butcher paper and BE the groceries in a bag!!
• Putting on a Texas Ranger (or other cowboy type costume) costume and going as "Walker, Texas Ranger".
• Use pieces of cardboard to build a haunted castle or haunted house and you can dress as frankentstein or a ghost or witch etc...looking out the window.
• A robot which includes the walker which would take account of limited mobility.
• Build it up into a haunted tree and you could be an owl.
• You could also put some mountainous pictures on the walker and when people ask what you are, you could say "The Walker Mountains in Antarctica of course!" Or some pictures of a lake and go as "Walker Lake" - there are a number of Walker Lakes out there.
• Get a large stiff piece of cardboard to attach to the front, shaped and painted or colored to look like a coffin with a small opening for you to look out of. Old fashioned coffins used to have a little window, sometimes shaped like a bat with screening in it!
• How about french fries and a drink? The fries are the walker and the drink is you.
• You could be a Christmas present. The box is opened and you are coming out as a doll or jack-in-the-box.
• Put a little model of a city on top of the walker, then dress up as Godzilla or some other monster coming towards the city about to CRUSH it.

 

Halloween Costume Ideas for those in Wheelchairs

• How about going as the painting "Whistler's Mother"? You would wear a black dress and the white scarf. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistler's_Mother
• Wrap a foot in an ace bandage. Get some mittens or ski hat. Instant injured skier costume!
• Drummer Costume. Attach containers (e.g ice-cream containers, empty paint-cans) to a wheelchair with rope, duct-tape or similar material. Use a hoola-hop with card-board for the bass drum (over the front of the chair). Use paint-brushes or large pencils for drum-sticks. Dress in appropriate attire for the music to be played (e.g. rock, 50s etc)
• Pirate Ship.  Jimmy has CP, MR, is deaf and blind, but still wanted to participate in Halloween - here's what he did: 
• Fred Flintstone and car costume. Obviously dress as Fred with a pre-purchased costume. Create the sides and top of the car from cardboard or light wood. Ditto for the dash. Cover the side-wheels in grey plastic. Voila, Fred Flintstone driving his car.
• King or Queen and throne costume. Wrap back and rests with gold or silver paper. Attach garland, plastic jewels and the like to the cart. Dress up regally in velvet or velour. Buy a crown and scepter and even the costume at a costume store.
• Pumpkin Costume. Get a big orange leaf bag, cut a hole in the large end and put it over a wheelchair. Instant pumpkin!
• Robot or evil machine type of a costume.
• Dress up as an astronaut, and make the wheel chair up to look like the moon rover.
• Surprised Bather Attach a pole to the back of the wheelchair.  At the top of the pole, mount a large wire ring and a shower head.  On the ring, hang a shower curtain, adjusting it so that you can still see to move.  Put on a bathing cap, wrap a towel around you, and carry a scrub brush.  You now look like you were surprised in the tub!

Laura Medcalf of Indianapolis was the belle of the ball three years ago when her mom transformed her wheelchair into Cinderella's carriage. Some foam board, paint, tape and a few glued-on jewels did the trick. Laura, now 9, was dazzling in a baby blue dress with silvery accents. Indianapolis Star/ News Photo by Kelly Wilkinson.

Nico Toscano, 13, of Rochester, N.Y., with the help of his family and nurse, built a 1934 Bugatti of foam core around his wheelchair. The one-of-a-kind vehicle also featured flashlights for headlights, an old-fashioned bicycle horn and a go-cart steering wheel.

 

Michelle Cohen Lev of Baltimore has put together a book based on the wheelchair costumes she's made for her son, Ofek. Here's Ofek, now 7, as a train conductor and Aladdin on his magic carpet. Each costume can be made for $10 or less, Lev says, using things around the house such as boxes, wrapping paper and spray paint. All costumes ©1998 Michelle Cohen.

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  Many Halloween costumes can be adjusted to fit a wheelchair.  Just keep in mind not to use anything that might get caught in the wheels and interfere with movement.

Are your parents or grandparents ready to switch to online for ALL mail?

With the latest headlines about the miserably failed enterprise of the United States Postal Service and the potential demise of a service that has been around as long as the Pony Express.  At the time the Pony Express had the right idea. Take a pile of mail periodically to one location and if you wanted your mail, you went into town and fetched it.  But we evolved to expecting our mail or a visit from our postal carrier daily, except Sunday. We expect it on time, even if all we get for the day are catalogs. 

We've also come to like saving money by paying bills online, sending e-cards, emailing everyone for holidays and promoting our businesses through the Internet and email.  It's no wonder that this enterprise of delivering mail daily to homes and businesses is going down in flames.

There is talk that 'Junk Mail' may be the last hope for the USPS.  Ironic, isn't it.  We've all been battling these companies that flood our box with items we haven't requested, marketing messages we just assume toss or line the birdcage with.

Grief runs deep in humans, but is also found in animals

It started when I recently attended a zoo concert.  We were lined up by the orangutans where a grandmother and her grandson were climbing around their habitat watching the crowd.  A zoo volunteer came over to tell us about the recent death of a long-time zoo resident, another orangutan.  Not only did the zoo staff pay their respects and express sadness, but they had to leave the orangutan in-state with the other orangutans so they could also mourn and pay respect.  Grief is not be unique to humans. New Scientist reports that dolphins seem to have a complex reaction to the death of another dolphin, displaying behaviors suggestive of mourning in certain situations. Other research has shown that gorillas, chimps and elephants also may show some understanding of death.  Our zoo confirmed this. 

Grief runs deep and long in humans and affects each person in a unique way depending upon their collected life's experiences. I bring this up because as 9/11 approaches, I've noticed many companies taking advantage of the easy theme.  Resist.  It is still a sensitive event and it's not your direct tragedy. If you lost someone that fateful day, then our hearts are with you and your families.  I'm pretty sure you are not using it to your marketing advantage.  If you know someone, who knows someone who knew someone - let it go.  This is not for you to use as a small talk conversation starter.

Resist the urge to make this a part of your conversation that day other than an acknowledgement of the occasion, not as a topic starter to break the ice with a prospect. 

Some of us learned tact when it comes to death, deformities, illnesses as children because we saw our parents exhibit it. Same goes with respect for tragic situations.  Stick to talking about the positive events in the day, something cheerful when you meet a stranger at a hospital, convalescent home or hospice as you extend your hand, give your best smile and make eye contact.  You'll be better remembered for being you and not the opportunist taking advantage of a day deep in the hearts of our country.