It isn’t a Halloween celebration without costumes. Just because your seniors aren’t kids anymore doesn’t mean they don’t want to celebrate the holiday with the fun of dressing up! Here are some easy ideas for seniors in nursing homes to dress up for some Halloween fun.

Ghost

This costume is a classic for a reason, and given that all you need is a sheet, it’s a simple costume for nursing home seniors. You could also try the “It’s a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” ghost costume, like this site suggests (along with other costume ideas that you can use a sheet to make).

Wordplay Costumes

If you have any seniors who enjoy puns and wordplay, there are plenty of simple yet clever costumes for them. Maybe a ceiling fan costume featuring pom poms or a fork in the road wordplay costume will win in a Halloween party contest.

Rosie the Riveter

Another classic costume made simply with a red bandana and a denim or blue shirt. The Rosie the Riveter costume is simple, but you can find plenty of examples to see different variations.

Tourist

This costume comes with a lot of variety. A Hawaiian shirt or an “I love NY” shirt can be a great start, perfect for anyone who owns a tropical shirt or a white t-shirt they don’t mind writing on. Check out this site for some more Tourist costume inspiration.

Bingo

If seniors at your nursing home often play bingo, they may love dressing up as a bingo card! You can also make a bingo ball to accessorize the costume.

Wheelchair Costume Ideas

While seniors in wheelchairs can use any of the above costumes, you could always create costumes with their wheelchairs in mind, such as these:

Jack in the box

With a simple clown costume and a large cardboard box, seniors in wheelchairs can be a Jack (or Jane) in the box. And check this out for how to create a version of the costume for a senior using a wheelchair.

Train

Use cardboard to build the structure of the train around a wheelchair and add details from there. Seniors can then dress up as a conductor, or go for a whimsical “Soul Train” look. (Sorry, website with a picture is no longer available).

Space Shuttle

Perfect for any space enthusiasts out there, the space shuttle wheelchair can be paired with an astronaut costume. 

Cowboy

If you have any fans of classic Western films, consider a cowboy costume! A cowboy isn’t a cowboy without a horse, though, and that is what this costume uses the wheelchair to make. This site uses a horse head on a stick toy, but you could craft one out of cardboard if you cannot find the toy.

Pirate

Another costume that can be paired with a mode of transportation is a pirate and a pirate ship. Turn the wheelchair into the ship, which you can find instructions for here, and create the pirate costume to finish it off.

While these costumes may be a bit more elaborate, they are a great way to incorporate a wheelchair into a senior’s Halloween costume that will make the holiday fun and special, especially for seniors in nursing homes. Feel free to scale the projects down, though, by simply adding the important decorative elements from costumes onto the senior’s wheelchair.