<s>[INST] I wanted to ask some advice regarding my 84 year old grandma. She has lately seem to become more confused with little things and 2 episodes in the last couple of weeks have stood out. 1 where she had no recollection of us as grandchildren staying at her house when we were little even though it happened quite often and another where she had been discussing buying a plant pot for a plant and then 2 hours later at the garden centre she had no recollection of what plant we were talking about. My Mum has also mentioned that she seems to talk more about her own childhood then she ever used to. Her own mother became ill and confused around a similar age and although never diagnosed, it was thought to be a dementia of some kind. I m wanting advice on whether we should be taking her to a doctor because i don t want to upset her and the rest of the family. [/INST] Hello and welcome to Chat Doctor. Thanks for your query. I understand that you are quite worried about your mothers recent changes. From your description, her main symptoms are:- confusion-poor short-term memory-irrelevant talk- disorientation to persons have mentioned that all these symptoms have been acute - that is coming on within the last 2 weeks. In such a case, the most likely diagnosis is Delirium, also known as, Acute Confusion State. The causes of Delirium can be many - salt imbalances, infections, brain problems, etc. I would advise you to take her to a doctor as early as possible for a detailed evaluation so that the cause is identified correctly, and she is treated appropriately. Wish you all the best. </s>