Showtiming relates to elders with dementia, normally. When they're somehow able to act perfectly fine in front of others, yet go stark raving mad in front of their caregivers, practically foaming at the mouth. 🙄 My mother had the Happy Mask for strangers and the Horned Devil mask for immediate family her whole life. But when dementia set in, she'd put on a HUGE show making small talk with doctors and others to prove she was of sound mind, which she wasn't. The key is the Small Talk......ask them a REAL question, and they crumble. That's what Showtiming looks like with dementia. It's all an act.
Do understand that in some senses we ALL showtime. In some senses we ALL present our best to those we see the least, and our worst side we show to those we know intimately and trust.
Showtime is very frustrating. And the ways in which some with dementia become histrionic with us and utterly rational during an MD visit is frustrating beyond words, but its a fact of life.
And thinking on us normal folk, I am going to give my beloved partner likely all kind of trouble today, but NOT when the neighbors are visiting.
Don't know that thinking about it in that way helps at all; suspect it does not, but just know that for both the well and the demented, this is the way of it.
I thought that they could only "showtime" for so long. The brain tires and they can't continue to do this. Usually sunfdowning is where Dementia rears its ugly head.
Oh yes. Mom was full of grace to everyone and a relentless pill to me. This behavior made/makes me feel totally isolated in my experience as I’ve got to hear how lovely my mother is on the regular. It was only on this forum that I heard about ‘showtiming’, and for that I’m very grateful!!
Also using the past tense because mom is still alive, but her last seizure mostly - not all, but mainly - erased the relentless complaining component of her personality.
I’m with you, this showtiming behavior is crazy making!!
My mother had the Happy Mask for strangers and the Horned Devil mask for immediate family her whole life. But when dementia set in, she'd put on a HUGE show making small talk with doctors and others to prove she was of sound mind, which she wasn't. The key is the Small Talk......ask them a REAL question, and they crumble. That's what Showtiming looks like with dementia. It's all an act.
In some senses we ALL present our best to those we see the least, and our worst side we show to those we know intimately and trust.
Showtime is very frustrating. And the ways in which some with dementia become histrionic with us and utterly rational during an MD visit is frustrating beyond words, but its a fact of life.
And thinking on us normal folk, I am going to give my beloved partner likely all kind of trouble today, but NOT when the neighbors are visiting.
Don't know that thinking about it in that way helps at all; suspect it does not, but just know that for both the well and the demented, this is the way of it.
Also using the past tense because mom is still alive, but her last seizure mostly - not all, but mainly - erased the relentless complaining component of her personality.
I’m with you, this showtiming behavior is crazy making!!