Looking for advice: behavioral and mood changes in my father after stroke

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some advice or shared experiences from people who have dealt with stroke recovery, either personally or as family members.

My father had a stroke about a year ago. Physically, he recovered relatively well, but over the past few months we’ve noticed significant changes in his behavior and mood. He has become much more irritable and impatient, gets angry easily, and spends most of his day scrolling on his phone with very little interaction with the family.

He was previously prescribed antidepressants after the stroke, but those were stopped some time ago. Recently, we’ve also noticed some impulsive behavior, including spending money from the family account without discussion, which is very unlike him before the stroke.

As a family, we’re struggling to understand what is happening and how to respond appropriately. In addition to the mood and behavior changes, he has become very resistant to seeing a doctor. He insists that nothing is wrong, becomes defensive quickly, and does not listen to advice or concerns from family members at all. Any suggestion about medical follow-up tends to turn into an argument.

We’re unsure how common these kinds of changes are after a stroke, especially irritability, stubbornness, impulsive behavior, and a lack of insight into one’s own condition. We don’t know whether this points more toward post-stroke depression, emotional regulation problems, or other cognitive or neurological changes. We’re also struggling with how to encourage him to seek medical help when he is so firmly opposed to it, and how to reduce conflict at home while still protecting both him and the rest of the family.

Thank you for reading, and thank you in advance for any advice or shared experiences.