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He complained for several years he was lonely living where he was. Both y brother and I lived at least 400 miles away. So, I moved him to an ALF 10 minutes from my house and have spent countless hours getting him settled, finding doctors, getting all the finance stuff arranged, having him over to my house for dinners/holidays with the family, etc....and nothing makes him happy. He calls constantly with the same list of physical complaints that we have already seen all kinds of doctors for and tested for (including dementia). It all comes back as just a part of normal aging. He needs more assistance (he's getting his medications mixed up) but, complains loudly about the price of it even though he has plenty of money. I sure some of his attitude is due to depression/anxiety but, when I encourage him to do activities in his new home to meet people, be happier, he always says he's too busy! Every interaction with him is very negative to the point where it is affecting my own mental health. Every time I see him calling on my phone or I look on the calendar and see I have to take him to an appointment somewhere, I feel sick to my stomach. Then I feel incredibly guilty because I should want to help my dad. I don't know how to handle this short of just restricting his calls and the time I spend with him. Any thoughts?

Yes. I have a few thoughts.
It seems that Dad hasn't much changed over all. Aging often does just exasperate our natural proclivities toward negativity if such we do have. And that's been the case for him.
He is unlikely to change.
Therefore, what must change is YOU. That's the only person you have control over.
You already know the answer. Yes, restricting calls are part of it. But FIRST, given your dad doesn't seem to have dementia, I would start HERE>>>>>>>> HONESTY!

You need to go see Dad. Sit him down where you are knee to knee and eye to eye.
Tell him this:
"Dad, I worried so when you were far from me; you seemed so unhappy. I felt responsible for that. I thought I could make you happy with this move. But that hasn't worked. I think I understand now that it wasn't just being far from me and alone, it was so much more. Aging is tough stuff and you have taught me that for sure.
But of late, Dad, your calling me so often, your being so unhappy, has made ME unhappy. And I just cannot allow that.
If visits to you are going to affect my own mental a physical health then I have to cut them SHORT and that's the last thing I want to do. So here's the truth.
1. When I visit you I am willing to hear a bit about things that bother you that I might help with. But then I need to hear other things. Good things. If it is all negative my visits will be short.
2. I want to hear from you, but I need our conversations to IMPROVE my life, not to harm it. So call me when you are in a good mood. And know that I can talk with you in the morning and at night, but the calls will not be long.
3. Dad, I know this is hurtful, but you have had your life. And you have opportunity here to make friends and do activities. I love you and I want your happiness, but I cannot create it, and I cannot allow you to make ME unhappy. I love you. I want to support you. But I have a life to live myself now, my friends, my home, my garden, my grandkids (whatEVER).

Then on you go. IF that doesn't work, sorry, but you'll have to crack-the-whip. You will have to stop answering calls other than a.m. one and p.m. one. You will have to exit with a hug telling him "Dad, I will come again soon and hope you will be in a better mood. I am so sorry things are so tough for you".

Sorry. No other way. Honesty is tough, but boy, you get SOOOOO good at it once you try, and it is SUCH A RELIEF.
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YaYa79 Aug 19, 2024
Well said!
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You did not cause Dad to get old and lonely. He's 92 and had a long life!
Start blocking his calls, limit your visits. The stress will damage you mentally and physically. Don't let him shorten your life with his negativity and selfish complaining. Don't run over and help him every time he snaps his fingers.

Dad is used to being waited on and spoiled. You can try being brutally honest, but don't expect him to listen.
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Beastie Aug 25, 2024
Remember this when your day comes, and it probably will. I cannot believe you told her to block his calls. She just needs to get some home help for him. He most likely won't be happy then either, but at least he would be supplied the help , where he can be somewhat monitored for his safety. Doubt if he is ever happy again. Sad, but, true. At least make him safe and comfortable. All our days are coming where we may be in the same boat like him. Treat people like you would want to be treated.
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Many old people are unhappy , you can’t fix it . They are unhappy because they are old and things are changing that can not be fixed .

You can’t fix old . You’ll have to limit visits and phone calls , and keep them short . Maybe you have been going too often . Let him adjust more . Don’t orbit around him trying to fix things and make him happy. Back off , you are not responsible for his happiness .

Don’t tell him to go to activities either .,Let him sit alone if he wants. Some don’t want to go to activities , that’s alright .
Some prefer to happily or unhappily stay in their rooms . Maybe he needs an antidepressant or anxiety med as well .
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waytomisery Aug 25, 2024
If you don’t mention activities he may get lonely enough to go on his own .

My mother went to some activities for awhile and my FIL to one activity , but they did not want to admit that they were going . They wanted to play the “ lonely card “.
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I am working on this also. Before I go see my mom (who complains a lot) I remind myself she can feel however she wants. I can’t make her happy no matter what I do. So I have to do what I think is good enough and leave it at that. I have to preserve my own mental health and Happiness. She isn’t helpless. She is the one choosing to complain but do nothing about it. I have also backed WAY off on making suggestions or proposing solutions which 99% of the time she disregards. Not worth it.
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Stop answering those calls and let the Assisted Living assist with his living. That’s their job. It’s right there in the title.

See if the AL has options to take him to appointments.

Limit calls to once a day, maximum. As soon as he gets negative, say goodbye and hang up. There is nothing so interesting going on in his life that he needs to update you multiple times a day. If you’re visiting and he starts to complain get up and leave.

It’s like a toddler throwing a tantrum for attention. Don’t reward negative behavior.
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Klopes Aug 25, 2024
That is so my Mother! She has acted like a toddler and thrown herself on the floor so much in the last 3 months, it’s just so hard to believe. She’s 92 and in May was so self sufficient, minus showers and cooking. But now says” can’t “ about everything and just wants to sit in a wheelchair. Currently in a SNF. So unhappy and it’s just sad.
I too recommend few calls, it’s just the same negative conversations over and over.
It’s so hard seeing our loved ones go downhill, but we need to keep our sanity too.
Good luck
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You've answered your own question, when you said that you should restrict his calls and limit your time with him.
It really is as simple as that.
It's not your job to keep your dad entertained or happy, as he will never be happy, and you have to learn to be ok with that.
So when he starts to complain you on the phone, you tell him that you'll talk to him when he's a better mood and when in person he gets negative you just tell him that you're going to leave and will come back when he can be more positive.
So limit your calls to just a few times a week, and your visits to once a week if you have to, so your dad if he wants will get more involved with the activities at his facility.
If you're not always the answer he may finally step up and venture out in his new world at the facility.
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Get dad signed up with the in house doc as his PCP. The mini bus can take him to other appointments if HE deems them necessary. The only appointments I ever took my mother to while she was in AL was the ENT for her vertigo, and the dentist. The ambulance took her to the ER every time, then I'd meet her there later. When she went into Memory Care, I took her nowhere. Most tests can be ordered in house by the doctor, did you know that? Its very convenient.

As far as calls go, tell dad you're very busy at work and aren't allowed to take calls. Even if you don't work, tell him you do. It saves A LOT of headache and explaining. Like why you can't take him here, there and everywhere. Like why you can't take 15 calls a day, etc. My mother thrived on misery, she was an Energy Vampire. Had I let her, she'd have sucked every ounce of energy and joy right out of me. For 10+ years I dealt with her histrionics and theatrics. And dementia too, down the road. It's my personal opinion that depressed and miserable people's brains are wired TO develop dementia. All that complaining manifests itself into full fledged dementia at some point and then the REAL headaches begin.

So prepare yourself now by setting down boundaries and sticking go them like glue. Because guys like your dad and my late mother are busy looking for the cracks to slither through. Make sure there are no cracks. My mother lived to 95 and caused me heartache and sorrow like no one else on earth. Then 11 months later I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.

The moral of the story is this: take care of YOURSELF because there is no making dad happy.
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MiaMoor Aug 25, 2024
Hi Lealonnie,

You're right that depressed people could be more likely (although it isn't inevitable) to have dementia when older. People who suffer from depression often have anxiety disorder as well, and the cortisol that is released in the brain can have a long term detrimental effect.

However, depression isn't being miserable or complaining, although it can become part of it. I have had to contend with a chronic depressive disorder since I was very young, as well as flare ups of severe anxiety disorder. Otherwise, I'm one of the calmest and most cheerful people, according to my colleagues - and even my friends, who have actually seen me in the depths of depression. People call me to help them look on the positive side of situations.

Miserable people aren't necessarily depressed. Some people are so used to looking at the negatives of everything that they feel comfortable on the bad side. You can't persuade them to come over to the sunny side, not even if it were paved with gold.

Also, some people think that it's other people's job to make them happy and to provide them with everything they need. They won't take on any responsibility for themselves. That's what this father sounds like - it's his children's responsibility to make everything right for him. It's time that he and they realise that it's not!
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Don't beat yourself up. You are already in his life a lot more than you were when he lived 400 miles away, You are a blessing - remember that!!!... and don't feel guilty about limiting your availability to him. Limit your visiting time and phone calls to 15-30 minutes so you don't get caught up in those repetitive conversations that have no resolution. ( I came prepared with pieces of mundane information I could pass on and then used to change the subject frequently so my mom could not harp on anything.) He was able to manage when he was alone and far away and will continue to manage in between the time you are available for him. You are also not responsible for his happiness, nor him yours. You need to make yourself happy so you can go in with a smile and a hug, when you go to him with annoyance, anger and guilt you are feeding his energy and that's not good for either of you. If you can't go or talk to him in a good frame of mind, then don't see or talk to him until you can.
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We each have our own journey in life. It isn’t your job to make someone else happy. It’s theirs. You can show them compassion & caring, but their happiness is up to them.
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Smokeymtn Aug 25, 2024
So well said. Thanks
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Oh my, I could easily have written this same message except my dad (91 yrs old) lives in my home. Five years ago, I thought the same thing: I could bring a little more joy into his life. But he has actually sucked the joy out of my life. I just retired 2 years ago and I can't travel to see my kids & grandkids or anywhere else because his mobility is so bad that I'm afraid of returning home to find him on the floor. I did a two-week respite care for him at AL last year to prove to him that AL is NOT a nursing home, and they spoiled him to pieces while he was there. He still won't consider a permanent move to AL. Times are becoming more and more frequent that I feel his constant & eternal negativity is affecting my own mental health. I just hope and pray that he will take a fall or become ill enough that he has no choice but to move into another facility. I have researched and attempted getting him some financial assistance with several different options, but he either didn't qualify or wasn't poor enough. He comes from a very long living family and I am afraid that he will live to 99 as many of his relatives did. That's 8-9 more years of taking care of him!!!!!! And all of the advice telling us to sit down and have that serious talk with him sounds good, but he cries and plays the "I'm old and don't know what to do" and "I will die in a place like that (and it will be your fault)". So much easier said than done. My siblings (they are retired too) call him about once per month and he tells them he's doing great, so they think everything is hunky-dory. I've tried to explain to them how difficult this is and would be happy if they would come stay with him for a week to give me a break to get away. Nothing ever gets arranged. I totally understand your situation. I think that I need someone to help ME. Yep, I'm a good daughter for taking him in when he needed it, but that's not much consolation. Thanks anyway.
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PeggySue2020 Aug 25, 2024
All Senior Brats cry and whine to get their way, and they are never happy. Your response should thus be that you ignore him and focus on your siblings. If they don’t take turns with Dad, Dad and any potential inheritance will go to the AL you found until he is penniless enough to go to a Medicaid home. That’s it. Driving you insane is not an option.
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