An invitation to a dinner for Howard University, his beloved alma mater, normally would have been the perfect evening for Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III and his wife, Christa Beverly, also an alum.

But looking forward to the event in March, Baker was anxious. What if Beverly became confused and disoriented? What if she forgot where she was?...

On that night, all went smoothly. “I spoke, I sat down,” said Baker (D). “It worked well.”

But as Beverly’s condition has deteriorated over the past few months, Baker has had to balance the high-profile demands of running a county of nearly 900,000 people with being the husband of a woman who is becoming harder to recognize.