A closer view.
View from the back.
It was a day for my sister in law to work on her quilt projects. That is one of her quilts.
I didn't get much sleep last night. My mother was in a panic which means the nursing home staff have to call me to calm her down. I received 6 phone calls through the night because she believed one of the residents had a gun and wanted to shoot her. I had a very hard time convincing her that no one would shoot her and that the staff was looking out for her.
When my mother gets into one of these panic attacks she has every conceivable answer to my objections rehearsed in her mind. I say something to calm her down and she immediately comes back with a counter answer. She spends hours and days rehearsing the scene out in her head before launching herself into a panic attack. After doing this type rehearsing for 60 years she can produce an attack at the drop of a pin. She is very sharp minded in how she comes up with these attacks.
I know what she is doing. I have been her victim my whole life. With a panic attack she knows the staff will be calling me to calm her down. When I get the calls; I then become one of the participants in her rehearsed panic attacks. I feel sorry for the staff at the nursing home. They must really have a hard time figuring her out when she does the panic attack thing. There is just enough truth in her words to make a person pause to think. When they pause to think she gets a sly grin on her face. She knows she is winning the mental battle with the person.
Is it mental abuse or just an attention getting ploy? A little of both. She got both by having an attack last night. How does one prevent her from doing this? A medication or a therapy? I haven't a clue. If I did know how to prevent the rehearsed attacks I would do it or pay for it without hesitation!!
Now that I've vented a little its time for me to try and produce a full day of work. I hope I don't fall asleep at the quilting machine.
1 comment:
Love the quilt. Interesting fabrics!
Now don't listen to me, I'm no expert. Having allowed myself to be a doormat for almost 30 years (and having gotten out of it) makes me think this way. You asked if it's mental (my word would be emotional) abuse or an attention getting ploy. But you said 60 years! Has anyone ever just ignored her? Or said, I won't play this game anymore?
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