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Re: Depression Dementia Dad

evening @Former-Member
the cottage where your staying sounds really lovely. the south coast is a very nice place to be isnt it. we occassionally travel south for holidays, most with white sandy beaches and clear blue water
if your lucky, you may see some dolphins or whales but they mightve already passed through for the season
Former-Member
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Re: Depression Dementia Dad

Having a break away  = 🙌

Thai for tea = 👍

Enjoy @Former-Member

 

Re: Depression Dementia Dad

Enjoy the time away @Former-Member

Former-Member
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Re: Depression Dementia Dad

Thanks guys, can't  [ √ ]  atm re tech issue but appreciate you 🙂

 

Former-Member
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Re: Depression Dementia Dad

do-what-you-can.png

 

It was good to get away, clear the cobwebs so to speak. Though being so sick didn't help. Getting over that now, slowly.

 

Dad got the nurses to help him ring me twice in the x3 days I was away, both times he was worried if I was ok.... and here I am thinking he'll just forget I said I'm away. Interesting. He doted over mum a lot, and she loved it. He mentioned mum to me last night. Wanted to know if she was still at... (hospital I think he meant) and I had too explain again, that she had passed away. "Oh, did she" he said. It occurred to me - how horrible to hear that news for the first time over and over again 😞  But you know, i think somewhere deep down they already know, emotionally, because the responses are very different. Its more like 'oh I think I did already know 'that'

 

Last night dad instructed me to visit him at "1030am tomorrow!" (he's funny sometimes).

 

Bro4 rang today to say MH have discharged him from his 2yr long Community Treatment Order (CTO). He was really agitated at first (BPD sensitive to rejection, suspicious / paranoid, anxious, angry, pressured speech...), butbut got him to 'slow down' - settled when he realised he could still ring CM, and the GP can take over from his psychiatrist for medication. . He sent me all the paperwork but my head ia swimming with all the extra meds I have to take atm with the asthma etc. He gets impatient but I have me to look after to. The disconnect with emotions is so difficult. 

Former-Member
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Re: Depression Dementia Dad

@Former-Member

Does Bro4 seek any help from the other siblings? I am wondering if he is starting to treat you as his primary caregiver.

Former-Member
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Re: Depression Dementia Dad

Interesting thought - he would like that, baby bro and all. No, the others won’t have much to do with him cause of MI & drug use. I have to reset boundaries all the time and he hates that, so self regulates that way, he can ‘go off’ Doin the best I can & I told him I’m going back to qld first chance I get. I’m not well. No, my whole family is disfunctional.
Former-Member
Not applicable

Re: Depression Dementia Dad

Hmm, guess there really is not much more we can do or suggest. Just one day at a time here. 2pm psychologist tomorrow.
Former-Member
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Re: Depression Dementia Dad

Thursday night dad had his Christmas Carol Night at the nursing home. I sent notification to family and reminders that I was not attending if someone could go be with dad. But none of them did. Fortunately he wasn't alone as I asked a lovely church couple who love music & know dad to be with him and they went,and said he participated, sang along andand smiled :). Its good he wasn't alone. I knew he'd like the 30 strong  Brass Band. 

 

Its still painful for me to attend such celebrations without my girl, and this night air really sets off this acute asthma thing I'm currently battling (stop prednisone today), Also, only one relative is invited to dads Christmas party next week, so that will be my Christmas thing for him. Given recent waring wards and expressed hatred twd me by siblings, I thought announcing I wouldn't be there might make them more comfe to go. (wonder if PG is picking up on their deceptions yet). Speaking of Public Guardian, I haven't heard what the decision was last week, about dad becoming "Permanent Placement" Tried to return a couple of missed calls to no evail, and emailed without reply. I just don't understand how pole sleep at night. And the games they play:

- I get missed call to ring back

- I ring back and their 'in a meeting'

- I get an email expressing how they tried to phone me but I didn't answer yet they have not responded to issues in my last email and don't state what they tried to ring about...

WHATEBER I DO OR DONT DO IS GONNA LOOK BAD TO SOME PEOPLE. IVE DECIDED TO SHIT DOWN TO THEM AND JUST KEEP LOVING DAD. God knows nobody else is there for him. Oh, my mind wants to go to the hurtful comments bro2 & sis documented in the correspondence to Public Guardian, wright or wrong - they clearly wanted me out of the picture and this has been so very unfair, wrong, deveving and painful rejection for me. And I guess for dad, because in spite of all their grandstanding  in words, they have done very little for dad for a long time. Maybe its the dementia, maybe his faulty parenting (physically violent) and phobias, but its not hard to see past all that for me. Dad also has a funny side and placid amiable disciplined man most the time, with heart. Oh the way he doted over mum was something to envy - she doesn't know how lucky they were to have each other, always ever upset about something, lashing out... I wish I had more positives to draw on.

 

Being alone in this house is weird. Starting to feel more comfe to move things now (mum use to go right off when I cleaned up as she perceived it as walking I'll over her, even though she didn't know what she wanted done and was so sick). But now, nothing (thank God!), just echoes haunt sometimes. Must start REALLY cleaning up when I get some energy back. Decades of sticky filth in the kitchen for starters. The glacial pace of Public Trustee indicates to me that the house won't be sold for a couple of months so this will get me through Christmas (a hard time for me without my girl), BUT, my son is coming so I feel motivated to tidy the space for him. Deep down I think mum would want it all tidy. She just couldn't throw anything away. I've been much the same, on a smaller scale. If they turf me out at Christmas, well, honestly, nothing would surprise me, and its on them not me, but I think I'm safe a while. 

 

Had a couple days break from bro4, he goes on the pot every payday I think, always very quiet those few days, the comes fishing for a loan less than a week later, sad really, but of cause I don't really know. He's my primary family contact, how sad is that! 

But in spite of all this storm spinning around me, I feel a reprieve, like tge eye of the storm is giving me a chance to breathe, even if just a while. Thank you God 

 

Thanks for listening. This is my hideaway corner xox

 

 

 

 

 

Re: Depression Dementia Dad

@Former-Member 💖 💖 💖 💖 💖
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Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia (NT), MIFA(NT) is a non-government organisation providing services for people living with a mental illness and their carer’s and families. 

 

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