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Elderly parents

Dealing with my dad's (alzheimer's) impossible wife

6 replies

Onemoretimeround · 08/10/2024 12:02

Hello. So I am here to offload today on you lovely lot, and try to calm down.

My dad who has alzheimer’s went missing the other day, he was found by the police. It was a big family drama, but sadly, my dad’s wife doesn’t ever contact me and won’t talk to me about dad’s condition. She gets extremely defensive and annoyed if I bring it up at all or ask her anything AT ALL, even though she has nobody else to help except my brother and I.

So I heard about dad going missing from my uncle, and got a message from dad’s wife telling me he would talk to me. I messaged her again asking her how she was/where dad was but no response…so I went round the houses to my brother/sister in law etc to find out what was going on. This is always what happens.

Today I get a message from my brother saying that SHE is upset with us because we haven’t been more supportive about dad going missing. Apparenlty she told his wife this. Despite the fact that she never, ever contacts me, won’t reply to messsages about dad, she’s never called me in my life.

She’s asked my brother to sell dad’s car now, and we will still be the ones to get a call if any crisis happens. Last time it was their neighbour who rang me to say there was a problem.

I feel she actively won’t engage with us and has shut us out completely over the years - then has the nerve to say we aren’t supportive.

I am SO ANGRY. I don’t even know where to start explaining how difficult she is. Now I feel I must call her even though I didn’t think she wanted contact, but what to say and I’m dreading it as it’s so unfair.

Rant over. Needed to put this somewhere as my huge urge is to numb the feelings right now. I’ve had a good cry but it’s not quite enough. It’s all been so twisted and unfair.

She's a very controlling, difficult person and it feels so twisted back on us. She's never responded to my last (v nice) message about dad going missing asking if they're ok - and she's never picked up the phone and I felt didn't want me to speak to her (and I'm scared of her tbf as she riles up and I then feel teary).

On top I feel I lost my dad when he married her, and how completely to alzheimer's.

How can I deal with her and reduce all this stress which feels so unnecessary please?

OP posts:
I8toys · 08/10/2024 12:08

Does he have the Hubert Protocol registered with the police? It has all his details on it in case he goes missing.

Do you think there is a safeguarding issue? Is he safe with her? My concern would be his safety and the fact she doesn't communicate with anyone. I'd call a family conference and try and sit down and figure out what is required from everyone.

Onemoretimeround · 08/10/2024 12:17

@I8toys thank you - at the moment we're just trying to keep tabs on him but we don't live nearby. I live three hours away from them, and have other responsibilities too and a full-time job.

She refuses a family conference call - or even discussing dad's alzheimer's. What can you do if someone just won't talk to you!

I haven't heard of the Hubert thing, will read up.

OP posts:
I8toys · 08/10/2024 12:25

Its Herbert Protocol. The Herbert Protocol Missing Person Incident Form | West Yorkshire Police

BlueLegume · 08/10/2024 12:32

@Onemoretimeround sympathy regarding the refusal to communicate. I guess it could be fear of facing the reality of the situation maybe? Sadly we cannot make people communicate on a level we might deem appropriate. We have sibling who tells people our parents care is his ‘top priority’ whilst proceeding to ignore any texts or emails from my sister and I and worse still our father’s nursing home. Could you try and speak to her face to face and perhaps mention you are concerned about both of them from a safety angle? I know it might rankle having to take this approach but it might give you a shoe in to open the conversation. I bang on about the website FOG - if you have time to look at some of the language it might give you some help. Good luck https://outofthefog.website/toolbox-1/2015/11/17/fog-fear-obligation-guilt

FOG - Fear, Obligation & Guilt — Out of the FOG | Personality Disorders, Narcissism, NPD, BPD

Definition: FOG - Fear, Obligation & Guilt - The acronym FOG, for Fear, Obligation and Guilt, was first coined by Susan Forward & Donna Frazier in Emotional Blackmail and describes feelings that a person often has when in a relationship with...

https://outofthefog.website/toolbox-1/2015/11/17/fog-fear-obligation-guilt

Meganssweatycrotch · 08/10/2024 12:38

If she’s happy telling your brother’s wife this information then maybe your brother’s wife could open up communications. Would she be willing to do this tho?

Onemoretimeround · 08/10/2024 12:41

@Meganssweatycrotch She's tried - that's as much as we got though, that she's upset with us. Not anything further putting safe or practical steps in place. She won't discuss anything more.

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