Mom wakes in morning and doesn't know who she is or what to do.

Hmm IDK what exactly it is besides dementia. My MIL (97) is kind of like this when she wakes up. Especially from a nap - she can be TOTALLY out of it. My mom with dementia often says something like "I don't know what I should be doing". Just really confused.

A friend's Mother had a stroke. Later once recovered she was able to explain the early days if it. She would wake. She was calm. No pain. But she didn't know.. where she was, what to do, even who she was. She said she was 'blank'.

One day she heard a noise but had no thoughts about it. Another day she heard a noise & said "hello". It came to her it was a telephone ringing.

Despite how frightening being 'blank' sounded to me when told the story, I remember the tone of how calm & peaceful she was.

I know stroke is not dementia/Alzheimer's & I have no medical knowledge or guess what would cause that blankness every morning.

Just accept what is, is I suppose is all you can do? Welcome her back each day she returns 🤗

You also state in your profile that mom suffers from Alzheimer's/dementia.....so, are you just assuming that or has she been formally diagnosed?? Dementia and or Alzheimer's is NOT a matter of getting old, or something that happens to everyone. It's a diagnosed medical disease/condition. My uncle was 102 and cognitively fine, still paid his own bills and didn't stop driving till he was 97!

From the Mayo Clinic:
Dementia symptoms vary depending on the cause. Common symptoms include:

Cognitive changes:

Memory loss, which is usually noticed by someone else.
Problems communicating or finding words.
Trouble with visual and spatial abilities, such as getting lost while driving.
Problems with reasoning or problem-solving.
Trouble performing complex tasks.
Trouble with planning and organizing.
Poor coordination and control of movements.
Confusion and disorientation.

Psychological changes:

Personality changes.
Depression.
Anxiety.
Agitation.
Inappropriate behavior.
Being suspicious, known as paranoia.
Seeing things that aren't there, known as hallucinations.

One of the first early signs of dementia in my mother was when she'd introduce me as her mother, no understanding our relationship anymore.

Good luck to you.

If this is new, Mom needs to see her doctor. My Dad had this problem because of heart disease. It had to do with not getting enough oxygen to his brain.

If this is "suddenly" new behavior you will need to consider that she might have a UTI, which are very common in elderly women and often the elder doesn't even feel or have awareness of other classic symptoms...only a change in behavior, cognition and memory (like confusion, delusion, hallucinations). If this is the case I would bundle her up and get her to Urgent Care of the ER. An untreated UTI can turn septic, which can be deadly.

Other medical issues that can mimic dementia behavior: dehydration, a thyroid problem, vitamin deficiency (mostly D), high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, tumor and under- or over-medicating on meds like sleeping pills, opioids, other... etc). This is why a full exam should happen for her.

I'm hoping she has you officially as her DPoA. If not, it's not too late to help her do this. The bar for what constitutes "capacity" is pretty low and the lawyer will interview her to see if she's fit to create this document.

This is Alzheimer's or dementia, a stroke or several strokes or any number of issues.

Basically, our brains simply get so old and dry they just don't function well anymore.

WE don't know why your mom does this. If this is new to her, then she needs to have some kind of eval so you know what you're dealing with.

You're being patient with her, and that is much more helpful than shouting or making her feel 'stupid' --b/c it's very likely she doesn't have any control over what she is or is not thinking any more.

Some people have this in the morning, some are worse at night. It's really an unanswerable situation, but you can find out how best to work with what memory she still does have.

You have listed this under "Alzheimer's & Dementia" on the AC Forum here.
So I think you do have a clue as to "what this is"?

I don't know if your mother has been diagnosed?
I don't know what other symptoms she is having?

Can you tell us more?