HCMCF
opens its door each year for a public trick-or-treating to our
residents. The haunting this year was conducted a little differently, by
inviting visiting
ghouls and goblins to each resident’s doorway as opposed to a common
meeting room. This meant the entire building was open to the public and
staff wanted to show their Halloween spirit. So a decorating contest was
held.
Each
nursing unit or department was assigned an area to decorate and then
the board members came and judged each area. Many of the units created a
theme to their
decorating. One floor’s theme was Monster Mash, another was Harry
Potter and Dining Services’ theme was Creepy Café. To participate in the
contest each unit was also assigned a section of the HCMCF’s Haunted
Park. The admission fee for this park was a donation
and proceeds went into the resident council fund. It was one of the
largest trick-or-treating attendance with over 300 super heroes, witches
and ghosts haunting the hallways.
Dining
Services took home the grand prize with their “Creepy Café” in the
employee dining room. The Dining Services decorating team created a
nightmarish café by
creating a creepy menu board, a cackling witch as the head chef, and
gross food on display. This Creepy Café theme was carried out in their
section of the haunted park as well. Much to the delight of the Dining
Services team, they were able to have their boss’
head on a platter as she was featured as an entrée! The winning team
received bragging rights for the year with their names placed on a
special pumpkin trophy and a pizza party.
The
best part of the month was the improved morale for all staff who work
at HCMCF and the residents really enjoyed having their home reflect the
spooky spirit
of the season. The Halloween event was such a success that it is the
start of a new tradition at HCMCF.