My lovely refined, gentle mum seems to be getting a bit vulgar in her old age

[sandyballs]

She's 80 and I think mentally has gone down hill in the last six months. She keeps talking about sex very inappropriately in front of my DD's (6), which so far has gone over their head, and is a bit cringeworthy for me, bless her . A recent example, in a crowded restaurant:

I was talking about our forthcoming holiday to Sardinia and asked the girls if they remembered what the local delicacy was. I'll give you a clue, it begins with "S", I said.

Blank faces all round, until mum shouts out
"IS IT DICK DARLING" followed by deep guffaws of laughter (hers!).

"Muuuuum", I hissed "No, it's bloody donkey".

donkey doesn't begin with s

neither does dick of course...lol at your mum though (I think - that'll be me in not very many more years!)

Just wanted to add, has she been checked out by the doc? I know that sometimes innappropriate sexual talk/behaviour can be part of Alzheimers. My dad has dementia but hasn't been rude so far, thank goodness.

It's quite common for people's personalities to reverse when starting to "go downhill" as you put it. I have worked with the nastiest of elderly people who their families swear were the gentliest people when younger and vicer verser (sp?)

Sorry, the clue should have been "d", obviously.

She hasn't been checked out by her doc, but think she probably should be.

Sorry, sandyballs, I was being inappropriately flippant

Have you thought of speaking to a doctor? It is possible that it is the early stages of dementia or altzeimers. It sounds very familiar to me, except it was my grandmother and she was in her mid seventies. She was a proper "lady" - quite intimidating to be honest - a stickler for manners, always immaculately dressed. It was gradual, but she started to get forgetful, then very indiscrete and also quite crude. Behaviour and language that she would never have tollerated in anyone else. We thought at first she was fed up with upholding such strict standards, but it was the start of a form of dementia