The break with your dog will do you good Geof, and lovely that Anne was contented when you saw her recently, so yourmind can be at peace.
Terribly sorry, bugsbunny that your visit was so distressing. The one thing my husband seems able to keep in mind is me...and that he feels he should be coming home with me.
I've tried various tales to distract him from this purpose, the latest being that we have painters in our house and it's a terrible mess, and also cold, with all the doors and windows open, so we can't go back until they've finished. When he pursues his theme, I tell him I'm camping in our son's single spare room. It seems to work, and there's a grain of truth in all of it; our regular painter IS very slow, and I can stay in our son's place if I want to. It's the best tale so far, that I've invented. There have been others. He lives in the moment, no short term memory now, so I can get away with little fabrications.
I know, it breaks my heart to deceive him when he's battling with his difficulties, but somehow we have to find the best way to cause the least distress...