I fear her seeing and remembering what I did. Most of the things I'm doing are for her. It gets so frustrating to start something, realize she's watching and have to stop and wait for her to move along. She's mid-stage Alzheimer's and some days she seems to remember things. Any helpful tips?
Get the cookies out, cover them in a pan or something, go to several different cupboards, drop off the cookies in the fridge for a second, distract her by sitting her down for tea, then bring the cookies to her, if she is watching, take the cookies back to the fridge. By the time she's looking for them, they are no longer there in the fridge, right?
Keep the gas valve for the stove in your pocket. You know, the one you just retrieved from the magical fridge that stores e v e r y t h i n g......then use it to cook, return it to the magical fridge if she is watching, then when she goes to find it, it is not there.
Practice sleight of hand. There must be videos online to teach you this.
There is also a limit to how many maneuvers in a row a patient with dementia can recall.
If you cannot find how this is done, study the behaviors of a family member with narcissism or sociopathic personality disorder. They have been doing it to you for years. Once you become aware, then you can try to use it to distract your Mom, or divert her attention away.
It may take some practice, but I think it can be learned. Your goal is to use the technique for good. That is different how the narcissist or sociopath uses it.