Pike *knew* where he was and was fully cognizant, even if he couldn’t communicate it eloquently anymore.
FWIW, Jill’s husband was amazingly cogent when he gave his gun control “speech” a few weeks ago. Yes, maybe his meds were working and he’d had a good nap and fresh diaper change. But I wonder at times if we are being had, and underestimating his cognitive decline do our own detriment.