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I know that sounds like a 70's song but the other night Dad was having "relations" with his imaginary girlfriend when I came out of my room to see why he was wandering the house. I asked "what are ya doing?" he said "that's none of your business, Coleen this is my daughter Lori."
No one there... I ask again... what are you doing
Taking Coleen home (he was standing at the very locked front door trying to unlock it)
Where is Coleen?
Right there sitting on the edge of the sofa
I walk over and sit where he pointed "you mean here?"
you sat on her lap!!!
Dad I think you need to go to bed. (it was 230 am)
He got VERY upset was adamant she needed to get home now.. she was embarrassed that I had caught them doing "it"
I ended up 20 minutes later getting clothes on and taking "Coleen" home. actually I drove around the block.
he spent the next 48 hours absolutely manic... wanted to balance his checkbook and wash the dog and call the bank. Press his sweatpants for church. He did not sleep and neither did I. He took my injectable medication without me knowing it and that got an emergency call to his doctor who assured me it would be ok just watch him... ok that's obvious. When I told him he cant give himself meds anymore he blew up at me and I said I don't want to go to prison because he took the wrong meds, he said "maybe that would be the best thing for you, prison" I lost it... I told him to kiss my ass and went to my room and locked the door, he then proceeded to try and take my knob off my door so he could complain some more about everything under the sun. I want a vacation, a long beautiful vacation. I want my bro and sis to help out ... they told dad they don't do anything because I'm the one who lives here so its my duty to do it all. I don't get it, even prisoners get time outside on their own right?
I'm whiny and grumpy and I want to run away
thanks for the ear,
question is should I have played along? haha... yeah I made y'all read all that for the tiny question at the end. xoxoxox

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wow,
sounds like your really skilled at dealing with crazy. im suggesting doc / phsyc care in conjunction. you can take him to er and they actually would want to intern him for a few days / weeks to work on getting the meds right. its what they wanted to do with my mom when she was trippin. watch your personal valuables, the girlfriend is a pill hor but otherwise not a bad girl.
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This may stop. My husband was in daycare and refused to leave even though everyone else had gone. The caretaker and I had to literally drag him to the door. There "was a man" who wanted to see him" and my husband was going to call the police and have us arrested, Now I wish I had gone along with it and told him the man said he would see him tomorrow. anyhow, we were going to meet friends for dinner at a restaurant and he told me the whole way about me going to jail and how my children wouldn't like their mother in jail. When we got to the restaurant he refused to get out of the car so I stopped by the door to run in and tell our friends. Just then they walked up and a very good friend moved his legs around and persuaded him to get out. He said," I'll do it for you but I'm not doing it for her" It was really funny. However that was the last time I had any problems like that and when he had to go into Al he was cooperative and fine. although it sounds like your father has a different personality. Good luck
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I'm sorry, but I had a good little giggle at your description of your dad and his 'Coleen'. I would have done exactly what you did, every bit of it including the drive around the block to take 'Coleen' home and telling him to kiss my ass about his comment about prison. lol

And really, your siblings have a big, fat glowing 'L' on their foreheads. Losers. They should be stepping up to the plate, dealing with dad and his girlfriend themselves a day or two a week and giving you a MUCH needed break. Even one day off a week can be a godsend. Can you hire someone for a day...or a weekend? Maybe the sibs would be willing to help pay for that. We can only hope...
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Has your dad been diagnosed with Alzheimer's or dementia? If not, a trip to the Dr. is definitely in order.

But to answer your question, should you go along with it or not, I would say yes, go along with it. That is your dad's reality. In his mind he has a girlfriend. Arguing with him will only agitate him and I've never seen anything positive come out of arguing with someone who is having delusions, trying to get them to understand that what they're experiencing is not real. It's very real to them.

Maybe have the Dr. prescribe your dad something that will keep him calm and not storming around the house at 2:30 a.m. Ambien or valium, something like that.

And find another way to get "Colleen" home at night. Maybe she can take a bus or maybe someone can come pick her up so you don't have to drive around the block in the middle of the night. Don't ask your dad how "Colleen" is getting home, just tell him that she told you someone was coming for her.

But I see nothing wrong in your dad having these delusions. They may give him comfort.
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I wouldn't bring Colleen up or anything, but if he talks about her, I'd say oh that's nice!
As long as he isn't trying to board a plane to Cincinnati with her or anything...
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I agree dont play along with his imaginary girlfriend. He might also being going through his second childhood. Sometimes they do that. Hide his meds so he cant find it and then when it is time to give him his meds you give him the meds.
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Thanks for the help everyone... and yea captain... I think she's a pill ho too. I WISH he were on something worth taking. Aricept seems to make him CRAZY absolutely nuts, seeing people and things that make no sense or making him want to get his affairs in order which just makes my work for the past 3 months he's been "out of it" fly out the window. He cancels payments I've set up and calls companies to order new stuff that's been ordered already... grrrr. now he is trying to call people to get them to take him "home"... he IS home he has lived in this home for 40 years but he insists we've moved him to one identical to his and we're trying to fool him. He can't seem to tell me why we would do this but its his belief we (and by we I mean me) are trying to make him crazy. I smarted off that he really didn't need anyone else's help he was there and back and had the whole outfit from t-shirt to shoes to twirly beanie.
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Ypiffani, my grandfather saw dancing girls, LOL. I wonder if Colleen is someone from long ago in his youth. I think sometimes these halllucinations are very old memories that get mixed up in time. I would talk to the pharmacist about the Aricept, because pharmacists know more about the medications than the doctors do. Every patient reacts differently to drugs.
Also talk to his MD about WHEN he may need to be placed in a facility. If he starts raging and pounding on things, it is time. If it's just naked women, I would let him enjoy the show.
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I took my mum off aricept after two months BUT she was never this bad she was very sick and had horrific nightmares so she never took them again. Although mum dosnt have als but Vascular dementia. I agree he needs to be seen by an expert ive heard aricept can cause hallucinations in some and works wonders for others?
I feel so sorry for you this must be awful for you but do you not think its time for a NH my mums illness is very subtle and so far so good she sleeps all night maybe gets up the odd night to make tea, but i think her wandering around at night and doing mad things would just finish me off boy if i had to live with any less sleep id be a walking zombie.
Someone told me about a patch instead of aricept??
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I feel like I've failed him. The thought of giving up and placing him kills me. His nurse said he would do these things there but they are trained in dealing with it. She did warn me that the cancelling payments and ordering stuff would continue and there was nothing the NH could do. I'm lost...
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You have loved him and cared for him, by no measurement can that be considered failing someone. Unfortunately his body and mind are failing him.
You are a good daughter, be strong, be well.
L
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