DEAR ABBY: As my parents have aged, my father has been misremembering things or making wrong assumptions. It has increasingly gotten on my mom\u2019s nerves (she has also become more impatient and snappy lately), and she has been yelling at him in response. Sometimes, he responds back, but usually he doesn\u2019t. <\/p>\n
My sister snapped at them, saying she is tired of their bickering, so they don\u2019t do that around her as often anymore. But anytime I have gotten upset about it or tried to suggest to them how to resolve things, Mom gets upset with me. My mental health isn\u2019t the best right now, so continuing to do that doesn\u2019t seem like a good idea, but I\u2019m at a loss about what to do. Any thoughts? — UNCERTAIN IN IOWA<\/p>\n
DEAR UNCERTAIN: Before this situation grows worse, please understand that it may be necessary for both of your parents to have physical and neurological examinations. If you can arrange for that, PLEASE do. The changes you describe in your father may be signs of dementia, and your mother may be stressed to the point that she can no longer deal with him without losing it.<\/p>\n
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