Feeding Bob

I think the more fun the food, the more Bob enjoys his meals. Plus, having Gully on his lap while he eats makes the process more fun as well.

I usually fix his food on the fly. Rarely do I have a set menu although when Mom lived with us, I did. Hers consisted of tasty treats like grilled cheese sandwiches, lasagna, and brownies. She enjoyed chocolate-y breakfast drinks too. I usually added ice cream and blended them for her.

Bob can't have lactose so I'm usually working around cheeses and other dairy products--cream cheese, sour cream, and definitely no milk. He explodes and we mustn't have an exploding Bob, right?

Accidents do happen, however. Every now and again, something he gets (usually from the store or restaurant) will have something that doesn't agree with his belly.

Bob gets a bunch of fruit and we eat a lot of salads. On days I get up early for work, I make a lot of frozen meals to alleviate the time it takes and the mess it makes in the kitchen. Still, the kitchen looks pretty messy for a couple days until my schedule evens out. Which brings me to getting help.

I get help with food by buying frozen. But I have a cleaner, a landscaper, and a couple guys who help me with miscellaneous home maintenance.

The kind of help one should also think about getting are other personal caregivers for your loved one. We have a few amazing people on the island that help every now and again when I want to go out to dinner or a show or something like that and don't want to leave Bob for several hours at home alone. He's bed bound and cannot get up but I still don't want to leave him for long stretches all by himself. So, I call on my list of amazing people to watch Bob. There are many services that provide personal caregiving.

A simple search of "personal caregivers" online brought up quite a few options. I'm sure that Alzheimer's Association also has resources for personal caregiving options as well.

You can also contact me if you have any questions about how or who to reach out to. I'm happy to help and happy to answer any questions you might have. Just shoot me a note at susan (at) susanwingate (dot) com. I'd love to hear from you.

God bless you all.