My husband and I went out to take care of the garbage (we told Mom we were taking the garbage out) and we were outside maybe 10 minutes because we had a lot of stuff in the garage to get rid of. When we came inside Mom was in a panic, and yelled at us, asking where we'd been. She was shaking all over, said she been looking for us and was ready to find a weapon. We told her we had been taking the trash out, and she snapped, "Well you sure took a long time about it". Not like Mom at all. She's also shown some occasional memory issues - could this be a symptom of Alzheimer's or do you think I'm overreacting?
I got my mom a new little clock with the day of the week on it, along with the time, date (10/10 format) and inside temperature. It's sitting right next to her chair. I have to constantly drill her about what day of the week it is and then remind her where she can look to find out, because she can't remember to look. I've had a few laughs when I've asked her the temperature in her apartment and she's said, "40 degrees." Whaaaaaa? LOL! It turn out that's the seconds ticking by. So we've had a good laugh about that. But she's lost enough cognitive ability to know that 40 degrees just wouldn't work for an inside temperature. It's both sad and funny.
A system of leaving notes is definitely worth trying, and can very often be helpful.
And I have written notes to mom's doctor about her behaviors or medical problems and given it to the receptionist when we check in, so the doc will read it prior to our visit.
What if the people who disappeared were people you loved and felt protective of and responsible for? Then would you panic? (Anyone who has lived through the teen years of raising kids can probably relate to that question!) Probably not, especially if they told you where they were going and they hadn't been gone long.
Mother knows she depends on you, and she also feels motherly toward you. If you disappear "for a long time" without explanation naturally she feels panic. That 10 minutes seemed like a "long time" is a bit strange. But the really strange part is the "without explanation." She either forgot or didn't understand your explanation.
I think you are right about memory lapses. And this also seems to indicate a lack of reasoning ability and a loss of the sense of time, at least during the duration of the incident.
When my mom spent weekends with me she often got panicky when I was out of her sight. She'd holler my name and then say, accusingly, "where were you?!" and I'd reply innocently 'in the bathroom" or "getting laundry out of the drier." After a few of these episodes I'd tell her ever time I passed her chair, "I'm going to make my bed," "I'm going to the bathroom," "I'm going into my office for a book," and we'd treat it as a joke.
The panic of finding oneself alone and not being able to remember or reason about it is not unusual but it does indicate (I think) that something is not quite right. Keeping track in a notebook and letting her doctor know is a good idea.
Is it a good idea to bring these issues up in front of her at the doctor? I have a feeling she will argue about her perception of events.
It may not be Alzheimer's, there are many causes for memory loss.
For our mom it was lots of TIA's that led to multi-infarct dementia.
It could be B12 deficiency. It could be Fosamax side effect. Ask her MD to do some brain imaging and find some answers.