My mom, (72 years old), has short term memory loss, possibly in the early stages of Alzheimer's, but not officially diagnosed yet (seeing a neurologist). She is mostly in denial about it. My dad passed away last year, so before that I knew he was taking care of things. My mom is a very private person and always gets defensive when I bring up the issue of her memory and needing help in some areas (keeping track of medication and her checkbook). Otherwise she is very functional. She has always tried to be in control of things and does not let go easy. Since my dad passed, my brother (who has his own dysfunctional life), has lived with her on and off. My siblings and I (4 of us) want to talk to her about some issues, but don't really know how to approach her without my mom feeling like she's being attacked. I know she has got to be afraid of losing her memory, but instead of talking about it, she just gets angry with us. We've had some big talks that she ends up not remembering what we talked about. One idea I have is for her to keep a notebook and write down important discussions. Does anyone have experience dealing with a parent that is controlling and also has memory loss issues? Also, is there any websites or organizations that may be helpful, I live in San Diego.