What do you do when you find yourself angry when friends don't even ask how my husband is doing?

Hi Suzy
My husband was77 when I first started seeing signs of dementia but we was still hi functioning. The last year has been downhill. He stopped driving last October and in January was when he really started going down fast. What medications dose he take? My husband was taking Risperdal and the side effects can be the same as Parkinson symptoms..
The Doctor took him off Risperdal and put him on Nuplazid. He still talks to people that are not there but the Parkinson’s symptoms have improved. I’m glad you’re getting help!!! I’l keep you in my prayers.

I am so sorry.

First of all ... maybe your friends were brought up like i was to not be intrusive ... dont ask questions ... its not being interested its being nosy.

Some people are afraid ... maybe theyll be asked to do something or maybe they cant handle illness or are afraid theyll catch it.

Or ??? ... ive had several small groups of healthy friends over the years that i would call every month to get together and i was always the one to pick out where and when to go.

Please notice i said had since when i stopped calling we stopped going ... or maybe i just havent been invited ???

But now i have work friends and senior center friends and my husband and if one of those were gone then i guess id be on my own.

So now that ive vented about myself i need to say that i wish i had some good suggestions other than finding a local health group or craft group or book group that meets regularly that you could get together with that you could get together with and find some friends ???

Or if you could volunteer even once a week ... senior center or hospital or ??? ... If its possible to get out of the house for awhile.

Hi Suzy. Just read your post. Friends can be in sensitive sometimes without realizing it. If she is not a caregiver she will not have a clue of what your going thru. In their eyes your busy taking care of your husband and they feel left out. Dropped. Tell them directly how you feel and ask for their help in some way. They may want to be there for you but don't know how and may feel helpless. Tell your friend hubby is not fine and be honest with her. Your friends can only be there for you if you include them. Maybe they can bring lunch over one day, or buy something you need etc. You must tell them exactly how hurt you are. Most likely they don't know and will be more than willing to be more supportive.

Hi Suzy
I’m so sorry you feel so alone, I know how hard it is to watch your love slip away an this person you love be replaced with a big toddler. My husband has seemed to have leveled out. Last night he was humming a lot and at one point he sang a line from in the song In The Garden. Most of the time he can’t put a full sentence together.

Since I have a sitter 3 days a week I can at least get out of the house even if it is to go to work. So far as friends calling, they are very few. Our son and his wife are great support. Our daughter is coming for several days and that gives me something to look forward to.

Is your husband still declining?
Please consider getting some outside help if you can. I attended a support group this week and it really helps talking with people that are going through the same things you are. You are in my prayers. Stay strong. Hugs to you.

My mother-in-law was housebound or bedbound for her last year, in and out of the hospital and our home. Several of her daughters didn't like to come because they were too depressed at seeing their mother's decline. This made them poor company for any of us. One of them was upset that other family members visited, because "she doesn't look good." Some people do not handle negative things well! They don't call and don't ask because they don't know what to say.

Here is my two cents. When someone isn’t a caregiver or have a family member with dementia they don’t get it! They shy away from asking I think because they don’t want to upset us or they don’t know what to say. Dementia is like a death but a slow one. And people are uncomfortable dealing with death too and knowing what to say or ask when someone dies. And some people just don't have empathy for the plights of others, sadly. This is why support groups are critical. I’m sorry you are hurt by your friend's lack of support. Even though this seems counterintuitive to you, calling and saying something like "I’m just checking in with you to let you know how things are going here since I haven’t heard from you in a while". And then let her know how he and you both are. Then you will get a feel for her by her responses. Do it if it’s bothering you that much, or if it’s important to you.

You answered your own questions. She WAS your business partner, so she is probably treating the friendship the same way. If you're not doing business together anymore, the friendship has probably come to an end as well.

My Papa has a male friend who sees him once a week. He always calls us after his visit and tells us how great the visit was and how great Papa is doing! A regular Mr. Positivity.
Of course, we get there a couple hours later, and that is not the case at all. But this guy took a course somewhere that said your day will be the same, no matter what, so you may as well look on the bright side of things. I could strangle him.
Grrrrr.

I have been caring for my mother for 6 years now alone. Sometimes I feel like I could die and I kind word would really heal my heart. My best friend told me she was tired of hearing about my mom and the issues. It stresss her. So I say nothing in order to keep a friend. I have lost all my other friends they are tired of my texts from the ER. we just have to accept this is your life and everyone else is just living theirs.

You seem down - your friend may not want to stress you by asking so that you have to tell her how bad it is - does she instead talk about 'upbeat' subjects? - that could mean she is just trying to give you a few minute break of not stressing about him but having a 'normal' discussion that you would have if hubby wasn't ill -

You say she has issues of her own - she may be taking the time with you as a few minutes of normalcy as that puts her [& she probably hopes you too] back to a time when life was better for you both - there are many who are not capable of dealing with others stress & she may be one

If this is stressing you so much I think you need more breaks - look into getting some care to come in & give you a break more often - this will also start getting him used to others helping him - because if you like it or not there will come a time when you may need to place him & by doing this gradually then that is a kind way to ease him towards that mode - by getting these breaks you probably will extend the time you can care for him

Don't be an ostrich rather start researching what/where/how things will be done when the time comes - hope for the best & plan for the worst - ask yourself what would happen if you were in a car accident & hospitalized for 2 weeks then in rehab for 4 weeks ...... wouldn't it be better all around if you just said 'look in my blue book beside my computer all the info you need to help him is in there' which is so much better for all than absolute panic -

If you write out a few most likely scenerios then you just need to do a quick adapt to go forward ... this is a loving thing to do - I did this for my parents & because I had written it out without big pressure then I didn't forget something like cancel cable or who is moving them if I can't - I even had some numbers that I had called & asked how much notice they needed so I weeded out a few that said 2 weeks minimum & kept those who were willing to help with short notice

In my opinion, Some people are just rotten humans who don't care about anything other than themselves, those folks are generally best when they are not considered close friends. They are deliberately self centered and although they may be fun to hang out with one can expect little more of them than a good time on their terms.
Some people are just emotionally weak. They care about you but are not strong enough to handle it when they are faced with painful situations. Not knowing how to process a friends pain, they simply avoid any mention of anything unpleasant. They may care about you but for whatever reason they just can't deal with your pain. Notice I said can't and not won't. Not everyone has the strength to deal with what we are going through.
Your anger is real, your hurt really hurts. (hugs). Your friends are who they are and are not likely to change who they are. The only way I know to handle it when I feel angry is to let it go. That usually means I need to change my expectations of the person who hurt me. I can't change them, but I can change what I expect of them and in doing so avoid being hurt by them again. For me, anger or hurt is generally a result of me expecting more of a person than they are capable of giving or doing. I hope life brings you a friend who will support you in the ways you need to be supported. :)

I have 6 really close GFs. 5 are going through “stuff”, divorce, cancer, job loss. Within the first minute of any conversation, the 5 with “stuff” never fail to ask “how’s your Mom doing”. And be actually concerned and supportive, and would help me at the drop of a dime if I needed it. One is living a really good life, but has no empathy. She never asks, and turns any conversation into a dissertation on how great her kids are doing.
When this is over, guess which one I will distance myself from. And she will probably be clueless.

Put yourself in your friend's shoes for a minute. If this was reversed, what would you do? Be honest as you are only answering this to yourself.

We tend to shy away from "unpleasant" and try to be only upbeat. Asking how someone is doing is hard enough - hearing minute details is even harder. Most of us will say things like, "good days and bad days" or "about the same" when asked. But if the person goes into minute details, it becomes awkward and can even be tedious for the person inquiring about our LO's.

My DH passed 4 months ago. Knowing that people don't know what to say, I open with - "you know Ray passed?" and then when they say they are sorry to hear, I just say thank you. Awkward moment passes. If they want to know more, I share. If not, I just say that he was 96 when he left me.

Do you ask your friend how she is doing and about her "stuff" when you speak? This too would open the door for her to get some verbal relief and then maybe she will inquire about your DH. I can still remember a friend harranging me about people who never acknowledge birthdays - but I'm the one who always sent her a card, she never sent one to me.

Ultimately, we all have "stuff" to deal with in life. I was housebound for almost 3 years as a 24/7 caregiver for my DH. I'm thankful that I could be here for him. Some would say how is Ray, some would ask how I was holding up - I tried to keep it light most of the time as they were really just being polite and I appreciated it.

If this really bothers you this much - next time you speak to your friend, just act like she asked and say thank you for asking, he's about the same. See what happens. Maybe she just doesn't know what to say.

Most friends are uncomfortable when somebody's spouse has a chronic and progressive disease for which there is no cure. I've seen the same behaviors with diseases like multiple sclerosis, ALS, and even cancer. It usually has nothing to do with the friend but everything to do with their discomfort about the situation. Alzheimer's is a scary disease, especially for outsiders.

I get it! Hubby's daughter likes to ignore the situation and only visits a bit here and a bit there and then is gone for 6 months.
IF she ignores my husband's illnesses, perhaps they will go away! Perhaps his dementia and his other issues will disappear.

IF she doesn't ask about it then she doesn't have to process it or face it.

My MIL has friends that dropped her like a hot brick because she is forgetful and has been diagnosed with ALZ.
I think people who haven't dealt with these problems simply step away and decide not to face it.

Or they think it is 'catching'. I know, it isn't but it seems like a disease that everyone wishes to step away from.
An illness like a heart disease is easier to understand than an illness of the mind.

We do a lot of talking about the dementia crisis but most people still think that just means that grand dad is a little bit forgetful and that old people are at the end of life anyway, the only people who get it are the ones who have also been there. I'm no longer amazed at the total ignorance the general public (and unfortunately a lot of people in the health care professions too) has when it comes to dementia and caregiving, but it isn't surprising when their only exposure to it are quirky characters on sit coms or a 30 second blurb on the news about some "brave" celebrity who is either soldiering on despite the odds or has sadly succumbed.

(rant over)

We can't help our feelings and so sometimes, we just have to feel them and process it. It must hurt to be treated that way by a friend.
People act odd ways for various reasons.

A lot of people stopped any communication when my LO got dementia. No calls, no card, no visit, nothing....but, I've just become to accept it. I was surprised. I mean, how are you best friends with someone from high school to age 60 and then pretend they don't exist anymore? I don't get it. Of course, they were not my good friends. It still hurt me for my LO though.

Maybe, you should correct her if she tells people that he's fine again.

No one really ever asks me about my LO. I will chime in with updates though. Sometimes, they acknowledge it, but, most times, they seem glazed over and they look down at their phones or change the subject.

Dear SuzyQ,

(((((((💙💛🐻💚💜)))))))
big bear hugs to you.

I'm so sorry you are in emotional pain from watching you husband decline. At one point I just about lost my husband and I know your anguish.
Lean on God for strength and know you'll be together in perfect mental and physical health forever in Eternity. May God bless you both.

Suzy,
People who are really uncomfortable with a subject, rarely bring it up. Also, if this isn't a part of HER life, she may be totally ignorant/clueless of what the situation entails.
Maybe she only knows how to relate to you as an "available" friend/business partner.
Maybe she feels like you have pulled away (you have) and doesn't feel "connected" to you anymore.
Maybe she feels guilty that a "good" friend would do more for her friend's situation but she's totally uncomfortable around sick/infirm people.
Maybe she's in denial and can't bring herself to accept the fact that your husband needs so much care.
Maybe she is jealous that you "picked" your husband's care before your business arrangement and friendship.
Maybe she's angry about all the time you give your husband and NOT her.
Maybe she is egotistical and has limited compassion skills.
Maybe she is used to speaking only WITH and ABOUT you and isn't thinking of your husband when she talks to YOU.

You are suffering the fate of a multitude of caregivers who are on duty 24/7/365. It's one of the many life changes a c/g suffers in trying to do the right thing by their loved one. I'm sorry people can't be more sensitive.

I went thru this when my husband was ill. I had friends who acted as if he were invisible. I had many so-called friends who dropped me during the illnesses of my parents and my husband while I was caregiving. I think some it stems from simply not knowing how to respond and inability to face the realities of death. It’s hurtful for sure. I’ve tried not to dwell on this. In the last month or so a couple of friends have called. Myhusband’s been dead four months. Of those who have called, one has mentioned his death. The others have said nothing.

I understand how you feel. It seems they have no clue how it is to take care our love ones. Yes, is very frustrating. Everybody is busy nowadays, nobody has the time to make, a phone call,much less to listen to ones problem. Sometimes, a relative won't call or ask how he is doing.