Well, thanks for that, unknown GP. Mind you, I'd seen this one coming, and I badly need the wisdom of MN to deal with it.
The main problem is that dad,75, has been showing signs of dementia - losing his way, forgetting daily skills, getting bad-tempered, repeating himself endlessly, since he was in his mid-60s. He drinks heavily in the evenings, which makes all the symptoms a lot worse. A lot worse - he monologues for 2 hours, loudly, and slaps anyone who tries to speak/go to the loo, f'r'instance.
But he presents brilliantly - he's practically a professional raconteur, charming, funny, well dressed and urbane. He's also way too young, still, to have Alzheimer's and he hasn't had a stroke ie no vascular dementia. He comes across normal to people who don't know him.
So I can see why the doc signed him off so blithely. The tests for dementia set the bar so low that a washing machine could pass most of them, grrr.
The issues remain, however:
- how the hell do we find out what actually is wrong with him (I suspect alcohol has a lot to do with it)
- how do we cope with his uncreasingly unpleasant behaviour. In the past ten years, he's done things, partic to me, that I wouldn't have tolerated if I hadn't given him the dementia disclaimer. Serious, taboo-busting stuff.
WWYD? Wail.