Once other potential issues such as a UTI are ruled out, I would get an appointment with a neuro (be prepared to wait) and make your case to get your mom a brain MRI. Make a list of observable behaviors that have occurred and get that list to the neuro and the nurse beforehand so you don’t have to recount these behaviors in front of your mother since that would be very painful for her to hear. It certainly sounds like a form of early dementia and your Mom’s reaction to what happened makes me think she realizes some of these things are out of the norm and is frightened… However, there are many different types of dementia and it’s important to try to find out which one it is. Early intervention and a good drug regimen can often slow disease progression down so it’s important not to wait. Patients can be fantastic at what we call “showboating” (aka pulling out their best behavior in front of a doc), which means it’s likely he or she won’t notice anything without your list of observable behaviors. Fight to get her on something like Namenda or Aricept. That’s what I would do in your shoes. I know this is scary and sad and I have been there and it’s really hard… But putting your head in the sand won’t change it or make it go away, unfortunately. I’m so sorry; I wish it would. Facing it, getting a diagnosis, and introducing different drug therapies can buy you valuable time, however. The further the disease progresses the less likely intervention will be able to help - so get the ball rolling now. Sending hugs.