Originally Posted by
RickChard
I'm hoping to call on the collective experience of the forum here, as I'm at my wits-end. Some sensitive subjects below, so I apologise in advance.
My mother had a stroke 8 years ago and is bed-ridden and immobile. We have private care in place 9-5 and my father tends to personal care in the evenings and overnight. My father has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and is starting to show cognitive degradation (short-term memory loss) - he is also an alcoholic. He fell around 2 years ago (related to alcoholic blackouts), damaging his spine, which has limited his movements quite a bit.
We generally have a 'best endeavours' approach with my father. He's been told he can't drink anymore, but he refuses to stop. We've managed to regulate it, since his fall, by giving him a bottle of 8% wine with his evening meal every night. This has been working well for 18 months.
Unfortunately my mother's health has declined and she's in hospital currently. Since she's been in there, we've been taking my father to see her everyday and that has enabled him to move around much more than he has done previously. He's now realised he's well enough to walk to the pub - something we've been avoiding as best as we can. So, everyday for the last 7 days, he's made his way to the pub, drank himself into a stupor and wakes up the next day with no recollection - still dressed. No amount of talking to him seems to make an impact. He's not eating any food prepared for him and seems only interested in his next drink.
We have power of attorney and manage all their finances, care, travel, medical appointments etc.
What, realistically, can I do? I've considered restricting his access to money, but this seems heavy-handed. He's drinking himself to death and I don't know how to help.
Are there any services I can connect with, has anyone had anything similar they've managed through?
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