So, after taking a mental health day on Friday
today I tried to scope out a little how to manage this new wrinkle with my mom. I emailed my brother and just calmly described what was happening here. He hasn't responded and I don't expect very much because he has his own plateful and attending to the mental health of others hasn't ever been his forte.
I ran down the list of family members I could reach out to for support or information and emailed one of my cousins who recently lost her mom to Alzheimer's. She is in the middle of planning her oldest son's wedding so, she may or may not have a chance to get back to me.
Mom's youngest brother and his wife could be helpful as they dealt with both of my Aunt's parents in their later years but they weren't home when I called.
If I call Mom's doctor, I know that she will ask me to bring her in for an evaluation and I don't know if I can manage to do any part of that. Whatever I suggest, Rosie opposes, that's just how it is. If my brother suggested it, she's much more likely to go with it to please him but he's not here. I don't know if I have the energy to induce him to come here to persuade her to go in to be tested. 
Oy.
But, that's probably what has to be done. Or, I could just fib and tell her the doctor says it's time for a check up and set up the eval back channel. (I can tell how upsetting this is because the part of my brain that is creative like that is not working very well.)
I would feel a lot better if I had some kind of a plan, for when Mom freaks out with no warning so I don't make it worse, and for what to expect or not expect going forward.
= new reply since forum marked as read
no doubt about it. I do understand the creative part not working very well, but there are limits. Plans in such situations may not be worth much anyway, and sounds like persuasion not very likely to work.
as someone who is upset and not as someone I love who is trying to attack me. Because at those times, she is someone who is upset and and not someone who is acting as my mother.
If I practice how to respond to her in that different way, at least I have a chance of not making her more upset and making the situation worse, which may be crucial because she has already become violent once. IOW, it's not that I can expect things to go as per my plan but that I won't be flatfooted and trying to talk to my mom when it's this upset, scared person who is there.
not to feel alone AND clueless. lol