Wished him happy fathers day and it was like he didn't care about me. He said he had forgotten about me and that he doesn't even think about me. It was like he was trying to get rid of me so I would never contact him again. He made me feel stupid for trying to show I cared. I live 1200 km away from him and have not spoken to him since fathers day last year. Do you think that he may feel bad about the way he treated me later or do you think he has some resentment against as we have found it hard to get along in the past. Please help. Thanks Paul .
If he does have dementia/alzheimers, he may have actually forgotten about you if you haven't contacted him in that long of a period. Try sending cards every month, or calling once a month. Send pictures of you and your family to jog his memory. Try to build the bridge while you still have him with you!
Paul, you're not taking any responsibility for the fact that you hadn't been in touch with dad for a year. If you called to reconcile with him, when he said those things I hope you said, "Dad, I'm sorry I haven't been in touch. I'm going to try to do better." If you didn't, then you and dad just have a complete disconnect.
You can't go a year without contacting one of the people who gave you life on this earth and then be surprised you get blow-back when you finally do.
Now that she's more than just moderately befuddled, she doesn't want to call her best friends, significant other, even when I remind her. (She lives with me now.) So when he said he never thinks of you, that may be a clinical truth.