I blocked my mom's calls and texts because... well... I hate talking to her. She ALWAYS calls when it's inconvenient (meetings, dates, etc.) and she never has anything good to say. It's always because she needs something that she doesn't need right that second but demands it right then or she picks a fight. I just can't deal with it. I call her when I need to tell her something important and give her an opportunity to tell me something important but other than that I have no contact with her. I feel guilty about it sometimes, but my days have been better.
It could be a manipulative technique. But if she has handy resources and is calling you to test you, I hope you can resist the urge to answer. Good luck.
My mother is 86 now, and living on her own, and she truly needs things and doesn’t call and badger me. When she was in her 60s and 70s and she could still, really do everything for herself, she badgered me frequently. I think there were two main things going on: one, she felt this was her gravy time or something, she was bored and now I was supposed to fill that gap; two, I got the sense she was testing me to see if I’d be there later when she really needed it. I would periodically say to her – You know, when you really need things I’ll be here, but you’re still able to do things yourself.
She’s probably feeling a new level of vulnerability and pulling on you as a coping mechanism. Find a way to convey you are not medical or therapeutic assistance, you’re a relative. You’ll be happy to help her find and interview helpers. That if she’s antsy maybe she needs new activities. If you ever have a quiet time in person with her when she’s in good balance, try to ask her what’s going on with her and what the frequent calls are really about.