We have no idea what her behavior is, we are 1200 miles away.
His family specializes in covering up and denying problems. Dad will not willingly tell, and will probably get angry at us intruding on their privacy by asking.
I keep telling hubby he should call his brothers and ask what the real story is, but if he has, he isn't telling me. Probably hasn't, denial is their way of life, if you don't acknowledge it, then it doesn't exist. He cannot say the word "died" or "dead" in conjunction with a human, he sputters and ums and hints and uses all kinds of weird euphemisms (Honey, I have to go to a memorial on Saturday. For who? Former boss's husband, he um, you know, well, he, um, it was a few months ago, he, cancer, so he's, well, with us no longer so to speak, um... and he didn't even know the guy, just worked for the wife for a few years!)

I am going to see if it's okay with him if I call a brother or sister in law to find out.

I know Alzheimer's symptoms vary from day to day, from hour to hour even. But if she's having times when she doesn't recognize common food items, or what to do with them, then she's probably been having problems for quite a while, right? And I should probably scrape up the money for a plane ticket for him now, when he will still be able to have a good visit with her, right?

We don't have the money for a plane ticket. But if it's important that he get down there, soon, while she is having more good times than not, we will just have to find a way. I was just wondering how urgent it might be, if she's forgetting things like what foods are.