Seventy-seven-year-old Jim Patterson will tell you himself that he's no young chap, but that doesn't mean he can't learn new tricks.
"I know what you're thinking, but I'm not here to talk to you about reverse mortgages," Patterson said.
He loves to step on stage and pack a punchline.
Patterson has been performing comedy for seven years now and keeps up with his craft with coaching at Comic Cure in Cape Coral.
His coach, Richy Leis, helps him run through his routine.
"So, I know what you're thinking. Let's just practice that. I know what you're thinking," Leis said.
Repetition is not only superb for standup.
It also helps Patterson deal with his dementia.
"My entire family came over and said, Jim, you have dementia. They all seemed very concerned. I had no idea who any of those people were," Patterson said.
When Patterson was diagnosed in 2016, it was the comedy that kept him going.
"I'm sharper than I was at the age of 70, OK," he said.
For Patterson, treating his dementia goes beyond the stage. It hits home.
"My sister passed away from dementia, and it was just, you know, I don't want to go out that way," he said.
Patterson has struggled with the syndrome for three years now. He gets emotional when he thinks about how his sister passed after her battle with dementia.
"I don't want to go down that route," Patterson said.
While there's no cure for dementia, Patterson protects what he loves most. One joke at a time.