confused in the dark

Walking in the door about 8 minutes late tonight, the Man greets me with his jacket on and a frightened look in his eyes. I know immediately this is not a good thing,

His words don't make full sense... until I interpret enough to realize he is telling me that he fell asleep and when he woke up, he could not find me.

He was alone... with his dementia... hungry and in the dark.

In our corner of the world, it gets dark early this time of year... by 4:30 pm, it is black out. And stays that way until around 7:30 a.m.

So the dark was confusing, and he could not tell if it was morning or night. He thought morning, and knew I should be there with him in the morning. He was angry at being abandoned by an unknown someone, where he could not find me... and at the same time, he was frightened FOR me.

Oh, God in heaven, that frightened look is devastating to me.

Then the relief when he saw me come in the door.

Thankfully I was able to calm him pretty quickly, and manage his hunger with a quick dinner. Food helps so much.

We talked about the fear, the unexpected nap, and an easy solution to this issue in case it comes again.

Now I'm wrung out and ready for a rest. 

...may there be mercy and a good night sleep, not to mention no naps tomorrow...