Looks Aren't Everything

One of the things that has been the hardest to deal with as my father has declined mentally with CADASIL is that he still looks the same, but has to be treated very differently. To people who do not know us, know what his, or our situation is he looks like a normal fifty-something year old man who is capable of taking care of himself, making rational decisions, and remembering small things like when to use the bathroom. However, my mother and I know differently.
This Sunday my mother had to go pick out new eyeglasses, this involved a long discussion with the sales associate, a fitting, trying on several pairs, and it basically took a lot longer than anyone thought it would. In the mean time my father is wondering all over the store, and it is my job to make sure he doesn't wonder into the mall and walk away. At one point I looked up and he was gone, now a few years ago this would not have been such an issue, he would have come back, now however he gets turned around, confused, cant remember how he got where he is, doesn't remember the name of the place he is trying to get to, cant find the words to describe it, and the more flustered, upset and angry he gets the more trouble he has. So I went out in the hall to find him just outside the entrance leaning on the railing, he was looking for a place to get some coffee. I told my mother we were going to get coffee.
About a half an hour later he disappears again, I had to walk further out in to the hall, quickly, to find him. He was looking for a bathroom. He couldn't remember where they were. I walked back in to tell my mom "I am taking dad to the bathroom". That must have sounded weird to the sales associate who couldn't help but overhear. How often do twenty-something women have to take there fifty-something fathers "to the bathroom". Tell them how to find the bathroom, yes, that I can see, both of us need to use it, sure. But to have to take him? Remember nothing looks wrong with my father. To most people he looks completely healthy so when I am taking care of him, telling him to do things, how to do things, people always have this look on their faces like they are not quite sure what is going on. They can tell he is confused, but not incapacitated. I feel like i need a small sign that says "he has brain damage" and i will just hold it up behind his head when they get the furrowed brow, confused look when he does something so completely off.