Could be, get her to the doc and a proper assessment done the medicines for
Az are most effective when taken early on. Though they only act as a
delaying mechanism it might still buy her a few years.

Get  her to the doctor, pronto. It could be Alzheimers, but it also
could be mini-strokes, thyroid, pernicious anemia, or any of a long
list of illnesses that cause confusion.

If she DOES have Alzheimer's, she may well be more impaired and
advanced in the illness than you realize. She needs to be seen for a
full physical to rule out some of the causes of dementia - and the
doctor can also do a mini-mental exam in the office for a quick screen
of how disoriented she is. Then she should be referred to a
neurologist or geriatric psychiatrist with a dementia specialty for
further tests (such as a head scan), and an evaluation of her deficits
so you can get a proper diagnosis AND a realistic picture of how
impaired she is.

Get going today - this is serious. If she has something treatable,
time is a'wasting - some things that are potentially reversable need
to be seen to early on to prevent permanent damage. If it is AD, it
can't be "cured" but there are medications that can slow down the
progress, so the earlier you get her diagnosed and on some of these
drugs, the better.

You also need to know exactly what you are dealing with so you can
make plans for the future. If she has AD or other progressive and
incurable dementia, she will get worse and you need to be ready for
what may come next, and have proper plans in place, plus legal and
financial items in place like her wills (both for her assets and a
"living will" if she has preferences),  powers of attorney for
finances and personal care etc.- and it also doesn't hurt to consult a
lawyer about how to structure her finances if you are in the US and
she doesn't have adequate money or insurance to take care of herself
if she ends up in a care facility - you need some legal advice about
medicaid etc.

I'm not trying to scare you - but if she has something progressive,
time is short to make some arrangements as she may not be legally able
to sign things much longer.

Call the doctor today. I'd be extremely alarmed about what you are
describing.

Mary G.

My mom, who is now 77 and diagnosed wth AZ, showed similar TV/Reality confusion
issues as a first sign of the advancement of the disease. She truly believes
that the TV is a two way device and that she is actually "there" for whatever is
on TV. The absurd part is that she is also at home, not having been transported
to this other place. Watching the Olympics on TV, she believes that the
announcers are personally speaking to her and she responds. When she claps or
waves, she can be seen and heard by the people on TV. A fund raising drive on
the public TV station drove her nuts as she kept telling the hosts that she had
no money to give and finally left the room since they were so persistent! My
father, 84 next month, is the primary caregiver. I help on weekends and as
needed.
-steve

We had that problem TJ before Mom totally lost all interest in television. She
thought one night that Archie and Edith Bunker were sleeping over. Another time
she fell before she had to give up her home and yelled all night for the people
on TV to help her. She was mad because they ignored her. I guess it's more
common than I thought.

Becky

snip....

    Evan has a related problem.  Maybe some of you are familiar with it and
can explain it to me.  He has a hard time distinguishing his dreams with his
waking self.  Often he awakens from a nap and tells me the most incredible
things.  He is aware that he is being confused, but doesn't know what to do
about it.  He has decided if he takes his shoes off (which he would normally
do anyway) that he won't "wander" out of his bed and into the dream world.
Of course to explain the nuances of what is happening seem to go right over
his head.

Dennis