Steve has declined further than he lets on.
Today we had a ferw errands in town.
Hanger clinic for support hose for Steve's swollen legs.
Then Safeway, where we spent about 45 minutes shopping. Steve never wanders off in the store anymore. He stays very close to me. Which I admit is a blessing. Because it's getting pretty clear that his navigational skills are really declining.
Last week at the VA he couldn't remember where the bathroom was, in a clinic we frequent often. He's been multiple times a year for ten years now. And the bathroom is in the same place, right off the waiting room. There isn't even a hallway to go down. It's right there. And he's having trouble finding it now.
Anyhow, today. So ya. We shopped at Safeway.
Then we did the bank and a couple other small errands.
THEN we went to the Port Townsend Post Office. A friend and I had a little project we were filming there. All about how impossible the accessibility is. Because it's functionally zero. If you use a chair, forget it. You can't access the Post Office in Port Townsend.
Anyhow, the moment we parked, Steve jumped out of the van and beelined it to the loading dock at the back of the Post Office. I panicked. I wasn't even out of the car yet. I was able to stop him by yelling for him to stop. Fortunately.
What he wanted to do was use the bathroom.
He hasn't worked at that post office about 20 years. He was just going to walk into a Federal Facility and use the bathroom. A Federal Facility where NO ONE knows him anymore.
We got SO lucky today. He could have been arrested. Or worse. MUCH worse.
And, when we were done with that project and got home, Drew asked him if there were any groceries to bring in. Steve said he didn't remember if we had gone to the store or not. That's pretty bad. A huge step down from where he was at the beginning of the summer.