Hey conci.. I hear you. Dealing with parents growing older is tough. Do you have a family friend who is a doctor ? Maybe your dad would be more open to discussing with a friend rather than a formal patient-doctor format.

I agree, aging parents can often be quite challenging and frustrating to handle.
One thing that has helped me is to step back and look at it from their perspective. To remember they were in charge and in control of their lives and ours for years, and to lose a lot of that can be hard for them.
Perhaps holding onto things stubbornly makes them feel they are in control of that part of their life.
But off course we’ll still be worried about their well being.
It may help to talk his doctor and share what’s happening.
You may also want to gather all the patience you have left and try and understand from your father what makes him take this step and help him talk it through with you and gently put across your love and concern for him and that you worry about his health and see if he changes his mind.

Hi Conci, You have already got some great advice in. Still will add my two bits.
Why did your father stop the medicine?
You mentioned that he has been silently tapering it off- so there seems to be logic in what he is doing at least in his mind? Can you understand that?? Is it possible for you to just listen (and probably not get agitated when doing so) as to what is rationale for stopping it? How is he taking care of himself other wise?
I get that being far away from them you are concerned and maybe you can find ways of observing his health and seeing if everything else is okay. You feel that he needs to take his medicine, you feel he is not listening, he may clearly feel the same about you.
Am sure he will be fine.
From a fellow daughter of a 79 year old 🙂