Stop the world

Yesterday Jean said, "Stop the world, I want to get off. I'm serious this time.  I've gone far enough."

I said yes, he certainly has gone far.

Where am I?

When we got Jean up today, he asked,"Where am I?" This could be partly just a reaction to waking up from a dream, in which he was traveling. But he does seem to be losing some of his shorter-term memory, or at least it comes and goes.

John asked him if he remembered retiring, and where he used to work. "Not quite."

We told him he retired in 2009, six years ago, and he has been living here in Kentucky since then.
Then he said, "I've been in bed for six years?"

"No. This has just been your home base. You traveled all over.  You took many trips out west, to visit the family. You traveled to Panama, and the tour leader there, Mario, arranged for his father to take you on some private tours. Remember Mario?"

"No."

"Then you went to Iceland, and the following summer you spent a month in Switzerland, etc."

So this partial loss of memories makes it harder for him to orient himself in time and place.
I'm going to try to find and print some photos from the last years and put them up on his wall. I think he'll like that.

Jean received mail from a close family member, which made him happy, of course.
 He asked John to read the letter to him.
I know Grandpa looks as if he is asleep, but actually he is listening intently, and conserving his energy.
His condition has been up and down lately. Some days are not so good, other days are better.