My 97 year old father is and always has been verbally and emotionally abusive, especially with my sister. He is narcisistic and now in his old age, he cannot stop talking about all of his great achievements and he exaggerates stories about famous to make himself look important. It's hard to hear, and he has lived alone as a result, but now, as he approaches the century mark, and my sister is the primary caretaker because I still work, he has turned on me. He tells my sister that she needs to take care that I don't cheat her, and he is accusing me of stealing from him. I have left his house in tears. He makes a point to ignore me, hangs up on me when I call, and my sister shouldn't have to have all of this on her shoulders. He has always told us that we were worthless, and he wants our children to care for him, which they obviously won't. Though he's always been abusive, we think he may be developing Alzheimer's. Does this sound like it?
Maybe you'll understand this too: The other night when I called Dad to talk, something weird was going on, and my "old Dad" started coming out and he was talking and sounding a bit like my old Dad, peppy and loving and more "with it". I started to cry on the phone listening to this----It felt like a cruel reminder of what he used to be. I held back the noise of my crying so Dad wouldn't hear it. I know that it was a "fluke" that day, and he'll go back to the other, mentally weakened Dad again. But you have come to the right place to this website. There are many who understand your pain and can support you.
She went from a loner to crying out constantly for attention.
It"s hard to see the person you once knew change so much.
It"s like a stranger has moved into their body.
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