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Elderly parents

Friend reported me to Social Services

242 replies

RainbowPeppercorns · 12/10/2026 11:46

I have been a carer to my elderly parents for many years now. They are both in their early nineties and Dad has just been diagnosed with a terminal condition that means he probably doesn't have long.

Until a few weeks back he was in a care home whilst we made adaptations to their home with some assistance from Occupational Therapy.

He is now back home. We are nursing him in bed as he can't really get up.

It has been such a difficult time. Unfortunately there have been some clashes with my mother over his care. She used to be a GP and has always been very vocal and forthright. They also didn't have a particularly easy marriage. There has been verbal conflict and I ended up throwing stuff around and walking out.

All OK now, apologies etc. She still believes she did nothing wrong by shouting and screaming at me over a tiny thing but I understand as we are both suffering anticipatory grief.

I've been confiding in and leaning on a friend of many years. He was a social worker but had a nervous breakdown and left the profession. Unfortunately he has rang Social Services and told them I have been violent towards my parents.

The police have been to take a statement and my Mum is totally horrified and insisting she doesn't want me prosecuted. Adult Protective Services are investigating.

The case worker told me who reported me. Apparently they are legally obligated to do so.

I haven't spoken with friend yet but I feel really let down.

OP posts:
BluebellBeth · 12/10/2026 21:47

Don't worry, just tell them you need some support with care and respite. Ask for an assessment for your father and carers assessments for yourself and your mum, you probably won't see them for dust

SmallDFartyCarNRG · 12/10/2026 21:44

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godmum56 · 12/10/2026 21:43

HowDoYouSolveAProblemLikeMyRear · 12/10/2026 21:20

If he thinks you're abusive, he isn't your friend.

If he thinks you aren't abusive, but the behaviour sounds bad enough that he could be in trouble for bit reporting, I'd someone else involved in the conversation did report, he could simply have asked:

"Earlier it sounded like you said XYZ happened. I know I probably got hold of the wrong end of the stick because it's not sort of thing you'd do, but I have to check because if it was XYZ then I'm obliged to report it"

Either way, i wouldn't trust him any more.

except he is NOT obliged to report it.

Sunbringer · 12/10/2026 21:35

Sorry… you physically threw things around your nonagenarian parents home?? Your friend did the right thing. An old lady shouting at you wasn’t a threat but throwing objects is violence.

ThreadGuardDog · 12/10/2026 21:24

DecisionTime123 · 12/10/2026 20:30

I'm intrigued by all these reports of help being available to the OP - sorry - the abusive carer. Clearly, according to many posters here, she should not be allowed near her parents again, and they can then freely and gratefully partake of all the good quality care they will be offered. They won't want to see their disgraced daughter again of course, and will receive several care visits a day to cater for their every whim. Well, maybe to help with a sandwich and a bed bath. Because where I live, and because I work for a carers' organisation, I know that even that meagre level of support is hard to secure and may come at considerable cost. Maybe that's just where I live and work (covering whole of South/South East) and other posters are in areas where 90 year olds get lots of help.

So OP can take herself off and reflect on her apparent shame, whilst at the same time knowing that her parents are mostly alone and unable to cope. Or she can be vilified, maybe even criminalised, but still expected to provide the care. Serves her right eh?

Well that’s certainly not what I’m saying and I’m one of the posters in agreement with this friend reporting to social services. No-one really knows what OP told him but something clearly informed his decision to report, and it’s also resulted in police involvement, which is concerning and suggestive that OP hasn’t disclosed the full situation.

I don’t think for one moment that OP should be vilified and kept away from her parents. Having been in the position of looking after an elderly and dying parent I can well understand what she has to contend with. But there is a clear safeguarding issue here. OP lost her temper to the point where she was yelling and throwing things. That indicates huge stress levels and a loss of control, however momentary.

There needs to be intervention and support because the concern is escalation. And there are two very vulnerable elderly people potentially on the receiving end if OP snaps. I’m not for one moment suggesting that she will, or would, but that would be the concern leading to the report. Hopefully OP can request a carers assessment which will identify her needs as a carer and she can access some support for what sounds like a very difficult situation.

HowDoYouSolveAProblemLikeMyRear · 12/10/2026 21:20

If he thinks you're abusive, he isn't your friend.

If he thinks you aren't abusive, but the behaviour sounds bad enough that he could be in trouble for bit reporting, I'd someone else involved in the conversation did report, he could simply have asked:

"Earlier it sounded like you said XYZ happened. I know I probably got hold of the wrong end of the stick because it's not sort of thing you'd do, but I have to check because if it was XYZ then I'm obliged to report it"

Either way, i wouldn't trust him any more.

Sillpresent · 12/10/2026 20:51

Do you have any mental health issues that your friend is aware of @RainbowPeppercorns ?

DecisionTime123 · 12/10/2026 20:30

I'm intrigued by all these reports of help being available to the OP - sorry - the abusive carer. Clearly, according to many posters here, she should not be allowed near her parents again, and they can then freely and gratefully partake of all the good quality care they will be offered. They won't want to see their disgraced daughter again of course, and will receive several care visits a day to cater for their every whim. Well, maybe to help with a sandwich and a bed bath. Because where I live, and because I work for a carers' organisation, I know that even that meagre level of support is hard to secure and may come at considerable cost. Maybe that's just where I live and work (covering whole of South/South East) and other posters are in areas where 90 year olds get lots of help.

So OP can take herself off and reflect on her apparent shame, whilst at the same time knowing that her parents are mostly alone and unable to cope. Or she can be vilified, maybe even criminalised, but still expected to provide the care. Serves her right eh?

Jennick · 12/10/2026 20:22

Not much of a friend,a very difficult situation ,made worse for everyone by his actions , I wish you well ,and well done for being there for them.x

PenelopePinkerton · 12/10/2026 20:18

Hoppinggreen · 12/10/2026 12:01

For doing what they are legally obligated to?

They are not legally obligated to at all if they have left the profession, which I take to mean no longer registered.

speakball · 12/10/2026 20:11

I know from personal experience that it never pays to have any involvement from SS who will simply do whatever is easiest and cheapest rather than what's best.

so they won’t do anything then? seriously though why run through those scenarios. in the uk anyone who raises a safeguarding concern is allowed to be informed of any outcome. probably not much more than that be we are legally entitled to know if our concerns have been looked into, bought change etc.

LethargeMarg · 12/10/2026 20:10

Lifelover16 · 12/10/2026 13:28

Maybe he spoke to social services because he could see you and your mum were stressed and upset and needed extra help. Perhaps he was doing it from a good place rather than a malicious one.

exactly this. we encourage families we work with that are overwhelmed to self refer to social services as most have an ‘early help’ type stage which is very supportive.

Cherryicecreamx · 12/10/2026 20:06

That would be it for the friendship for me because you confided for support and it feels like the ultimate betrayal. I think I'd want to let him know that's it now.
Having said that I'm not dismissing what you have done, throwing things is a form of abuse, especially with your parents who are old and vulnerable. Hopefully this can be a wake up call to learn to manage your emotions more to not resort to throwing things - no good is going to come out of that.

WhoGives2Fucks · 12/10/2026 20:06

Nottodaybob · 12/10/2026 19:41

We do t know that the friend didn't say that first. Or didn't offer support. The friend may well have raised concerns with the OP who either dismissed them or declined help. We don't know, the OP doesn't say. What we do know is that the OP has shouted, screamed and thrown stuff, in the home where her bed bound father is living.

That IS abuse and if OP either minimised it, dismissed it or refused support, then to protect the elderly vulnerable person, SS needed to be called.

I very much doubt the friend said oh right, fair enough, then immediately called social services.

Well you may very much doubt what you like, but taking it at face value from what she’s written, it doesn’t appear that he offered help or anything at all. It’s seems to have came out if the blue without him speaking to her first. If he had spoken to her and offered help etc…. the replies here would be vastly different. We can only go on what we’re told here so no point in adding in potential scenarios.

Fernsarethebestplants · 12/10/2026 19:52

Long-term carers are indeed very vulnerable themselves, mainly to MH issues and risk of suicide. Caring like this burns you out, you can't sleep if the person need support at night, dealing with incontinence is exhausting, and there are far too few services leaving you in a terrible situation. I couldn't go through what I went through again, it was like a form of hell for both the carer and the cared for.

I would never condemn anyone in this situation; shouting is something that happens when people are exhausted, overwrought and already grieving.

Old people are just people, and they may be difficult, awkward, and bloody minded just like anyone, and very difficult to handle. They may have personality changes or cognitive decline, even if there is not official dementia (and there may be). Just because they are 90 doesn't make them easy to deal with at all.

In hindsight, stepping back is the thing to do. That's the counsel of perfection, though. I have shouted extremely loudly at my children, for example, but I don't think it would have been reasonable to call SS.

If one of my friends had called SS when I was at my lowest ebb, I don't know what I would have done. I don't think many commenting on here have recently cared for a terminally ill person in the current system and I hope for their sake they never have to.

SnoopyPajamas · 12/10/2026 19:47

Okay. You do need a bit more accountability here, OP. Yes, your mum was wrong to shout and scream at you. But her husband is dying and realistically, she won't be far behind. She's probably scared out of her wits and just wants to feel a sense of control over the situation. You should have handled that better. I absolutely understand the stress you're under, but you seem to think her shouting at you excuses your actions. There's a "we both did wrong but she provoked me" undertone to your post, and I don't think you can afford to think like that anymore. You're at the stage where it needs to become "she provoked me - I need better ways of dealing with that".

OP, your parents are both in their nineties. They weaker than you and dependent on you. Throwing stuff around and then walking out - by which I'm guessing you mean leaving the house? - will only have made your mum feel unsafe, at a time when she already feels vulnerable. It will exacerbate the very behaviour you're trying to prevent. I know it feels like clearing your head in the moment, but if you're trying to bring down the stress levels of everyone in the house, it's not the way to go.

On your friend: I understand why you feel like he betrayed your trust, but it does sound like you're not coping. He may even have thought telling him was a cry for help on your part. It sounds like he was trying to do the right thing. If he's been a good friend up to now, tell him you were hurt but you understand, and try to maintain the friendship. Caring is tough. You need your friends around you. Don't throw them out of your life unless you absolutely have to.

On the social involvement: I know, it's horrible. But maybe you could do with some help, and this will be a way to get you that. You may even have needed a bit of a wake-up call, so the situation won't escalate. I know that's a tough thing to hear, but the truth is you lost control here. The sense that someone is keeping an eye on you might help you stay your best self in future, and put the brakes on next time it all gets too much.

"I walked out": you haven't given much information on this, but if by it you mean that you left the house in a temper, and left two ninety year olds (one of them bed bound) alone, with no idea when you might return . . . I can see why your friend felt uncomfortable. Your parents are vulnerable now in the same way children are. I know it's an adjustment to see them that way, especially when they don't want to admit it, and when your mum still has such power to hurt your feelings. But it's true. It's time for a perspective shift.

Punishing them that way can't happen again. What if something had happened while you were gone? You'd feel awful. I know they're difficult, but there are better ways of dealing with them. Reach out. Ask for help. You can handle this. I know it's humiliating to have social services in your home, but they will have seen this kind of thing more than you imagine. It's a shit experience, but sometimes we need an outside perspective to open our eyes to the ways we're falling short. It doesn't mean the end of the world and it doesn't mean you're a bad person. Take the lessons you need to take from this and then pick it up and keep moving.

You can do it. You've already been a carer for so long. Think of this as just another stage you're moving through. Like childhood in reverse. Just as kids grow up and move from children to teens, and your relationship with them has to adjust, the same thing is happening now with your elderly parents. They're dependent, they're frightened, and they need your patience. You've become the parent now, in many ways.

This is a hard stage. But you will find your equilibrium. Things will settle. You've got this 🌺

MrsKin90 · 12/10/2026 19:44

Mum is in her 90s with a dying husband she's unable to care for by herself = emotionally and physically vulnerable.

Dad's is in his 90's and dying = emotionally and physically vulnerable.

Daughter with a terminally ill dad and frustrating mother who takes part in a 'verbal' conflict and ends up throwing things around (resulting in police involvement suggesting physical harm) = an escalation to physical conflict (throwing things is not verbal) by a person who has the power in this situation, with care responsibilities over a dying person who is unable to contain her anger during confrontation with a 90 year old grieving widow.

Regardless of the backstory to the event, it sounds like a social services report was warranted to check on the level of abuse that occured and potential for ongoing risk of abuse towards vulnerable parties.

AmnesiacDream · 12/10/2026 19:42

I agree that you can't really talk to that friend any more. He doesn't have your back enough to be the friend you need.

But I also think you need to find a way to deal with stress and anger better.

Throwing things around is not okay. I know you were stressed. I know your mother's shouting was itself abusive. But that response was not okay. You need to find a way to walk out before you get to that point, not after. Ideally a way to let things wash off you so you don't get to that point, but with the emotions involved in a situation like this that's very hard.

ThatGoldScroller · 12/10/2026 19:42

I don’t think I could ever forgive him. In the best case scenario, if he felt you needed help, then he could say that. At the very least he should have let you know.

Unless there is a massive drip feed to come?

bafta16 · 12/10/2026 19:42

leavesinthebreeze · 12/10/2026 12:31

Throwing stuff around when there are vulnerable/children etc in the room is seen as abusive I thought? It is certainly frightening for those in the room.
OP sorry you are going through a tough time - can you get extra support?

What a load of rubbish, a stituation like this can drive people to behaviour which is out of character.
OP chucked a few things around.

Nottodaybob · 12/10/2026 19:41

WhoGives2Fucks · 12/10/2026 17:38

That’s a normal response though you wouldn’t know it judging by some of the angel Gabriel responses here!

We do t know that the friend didn't say that first. Or didn't offer support. The friend may well have raised concerns with the OP who either dismissed them or declined help. We don't know, the OP doesn't say. What we do know is that the OP has shouted, screamed and thrown stuff, in the home where her bed bound father is living.

That IS abuse and if OP either minimised it, dismissed it or refused support, then to protect the elderly vulnerable person, SS needed to be called.

I very much doubt the friend said oh right, fair enough, then immediately called social services.

Pumpkindice · 12/10/2026 19:37

ThreadGuardDog · 12/10/2026 19:11

Not automatically no but OP hasn’t mentioned whether this episode happened in front of her dad, who may very well have been scared as a result. And I think it’s fair to say that if OP suddenly starting flinging things around the room in temper her mum would have felt some level of fear.

There are a couple of things I find really concerning. One is why the police are investigating - that suggests something more serious than OP has detailed here. And the other is the story that the social worker told her who had reported her. The reporter would have been protected by GDPR and I simply don’t believe that the social worker would have just blurted it out.

Theres no automatic anonymity when referring to social services. The referrer has to specify it, and there should be a discussion with the referer about the implications. Which can include that the referral may be less effective, eg if the subject assumes it's malicious and denies it, or that by what's shared, the subject will easily be able to guess who shared it.
If the referrer had said that they're happy for their name to be on the referral, then social services would be able to confirm that to the OP. Its usual to discuss the source of a referral in the context of credibility, unless as mentioned above, the referrer is a member of the public who has requested anonymity.

godmum56 · 12/10/2026 19:25

Charlize43 · 12/10/2026 19:21

I'm only interested in being friends with people who know (and appreciate) how to make really good cocktails.

The only advice I can give is maybe avoid social worker types in future.

now this is a rule I can adopt.....

Charlize43 · 12/10/2026 19:21

I'm only interested in being friends with people who know (and appreciate) how to make really good cocktails.

The only advice I can give is maybe avoid social worker types in future.

ThreadGuardDog · 12/10/2026 19:11

Happyjoe · 12/10/2026 18:48

Age isn't the whole measure of being vulnerable. From what I can understand the mum has never had an issue in being a strong woman and she was shouting at the OP.

Is she automatically the victim because of her age?

Not automatically no but OP hasn’t mentioned whether this episode happened in front of her dad, who may very well have been scared as a result. And I think it’s fair to say that if OP suddenly starting flinging things around the room in temper her mum would have felt some level of fear.

There are a couple of things I find really concerning. One is why the police are investigating - that suggests something more serious than OP has detailed here. And the other is the story that the social worker told her who had reported her. The reporter would have been protected by GDPR and I simply don’t believe that the social worker would have just blurted it out.

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