Lübke's political friends ignored him, if they did not avoid him. His successor in the presidency, Gustav Heinemann, however, kept in contact with him. Trips to Tenerife in the fall of 1969 and at Christmas in 1970 and 1971 brought no improvement in his condition. Progressive cerebral sclerosis was becoming increasingly noticeable, leading to serious speech disorders and progressive memory loss. In retrospect, it became clear that this disease had started several years earlier and explained many aspects of the West German president's behavior during his last years in office. In November 1971, the former president visited his birthplace in Enkhausen for the last time.