Alzheimer's and Snacks

My dad is still doing really good in his group home. As I have mentioned before, he is the only one in the home who has Alzheimer's. His roommate, who happens to have Parkinson's, is always telling me how much he enjoys my dad as a roommate. He tells us that when my dad gets up in the night (either to wonder around or in the need for the restroom) he automatically hears him and starts to ring the bell so that the aid will come in before my dad even has a chance to get in to trouble. So, it seems that he is really watching out for my dad and we sure appreciate that.

A few days ago, I brought my dad some snacks. He loves nuts and he loves chewy candy. So, I brought him licorice and almonds. The licorice was from Sprouts, which is better since it has no red dye. So, I showed it to my dad and explained what it was. I opened the licorice bag and handed him a piece. His face just lit up. He is always so gracious and says "Oh, wonderful, thank you". Even though I knew he had no clue who I was, it didn't matter to me. Just as long as I got to spend time with him and watch him enjoy his snacks, that is all that matters to me. Before I went home, I opened the bag of almonds to let him snack on those for a minute. It's so funny that the way he eats nuts has never changed. He can't just put them in his mouth. He has to shake them in his hand (like he is getting ready to toss dice and then he throws them in to his mouth one by one. He never misses either. It cracks me up!!

Another small thing I just remembered. A few weeks ago my mom was telling me that my dad got to play bingo with the others in the house. I thought to myself, "how would he ever figure that one out?". Apparently, they have someone come in the home who provides the game and prizes. That person was the one who helped my dad and obviously she had to play the game for him. Like I said, he is the only one with Alzheimer's and he is in the moderate to severe stages. Leaning to the severe stage I may need to mention. Anyway, the funny thing was that he WON the game and the prize was snacks. Boy, was he excited. He had to eat them right away and that is exactly what he did. I could picture it now. He probably sat there with NO care in the world. Throwing those candies into his mouth one by one. Very sweet.