I had the opportunity to see my dad daily while
he was ill.

There were 'flashes' of recognition and other times blanks stares...

In a conversation I had with my brother, he said that, "Dad wasn't Dad anymore, He wasn't the Dad we grew up with."

An observation, while sounding a little harsh,
rang with more truth than any other one that I have heard on the subject.

If you approach the subject obliquely you'll get a sense of what your hubby IS prepared to talk about. Don't hammer him with it....just toss it out like a "are you looking forward to seeing your family?" question....

You'll get the sense of where the conversation is headed....