I'm so sorry to hear what happened to your mother. The cruelty of some people is inconceivable. Some states have victim funds. I hope yours is one of them.
And it IS a counterproductive situation when laws meant to protect people are instead barriers when information is legitimately needed by essential 1st line relatives. I'm an 'older woman" and have not been riding the waves of radical changes in our world. I spent a few years of retirement in a shelter works of study, being submitted in classical music including hosting prodigies who were playing in my city, and refusing the house I thought I'd be living in thru my senior years. Now that I'm catch up, it's all a shock to my senses. Much happened in afew short years.... And then COVID happened. Now it's a whole new society.
I have a friend who I spent time with on and off. She seemed normal. Until the day she called telling me she won $5million dollars they Publishers Clearing House. Just 4 months ago. She wouldn't listen to me. Or a mutual friends. Or the cops who told her outright - "This is a scam." She was, and still is, certain the person who called her and told her that was legitimate. And she missed her chance to be a millionaire bc she didn't send through money in fast enough. She has no signs of dementia. She's highly functioning. But she can't see the fraud side of circumstances. It happens to so many good people. In fact, my new PCP sends out email Fraud Alerts to her Senior patients from law enforcement. I've been a victim too. Hugely. And I know I could be again. Because while we're living in the Age of Information, we're also living in the Age of Deception.
Stay safe. Y'all.