DEAR ABBY: What do I do about my aging mother who says whatever pops into her head as if she has no filter? Lately, she has been blurting out racial slurs. Abby, this is not the way we were raised.
Is my mother getting dementia? And when she does this in public, what do I say to the person she has just insulted? -- MAMA'S DAUGHTER
DEAR DAUGHTER: Your mother may have some form of dementia -- and you and the rest of the family should inform her doctor so that Mama can get a physical and neurological workup to find out why her behavior has changed so radically.
As to what to say to the people at whom she targets her racial slurs, simply say, "Please forgive my mother. She's had another lapse, and she's not herself."
Believe me, you have my sympathy.