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Whenever my mom asks me questions, why does she completely ignore me when I answer her?

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You do not give much information.
If that is the only thing that makes you think that she has "severe mental issues" I would say no.
It could be a hearing problem.
It could be she does not like the answer you gave her or the way you gave it to her.
We definitely need a bit more information.
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'Severe mental issues' is a fairly broad response, but, given this is about aging, it is not uncommon for cognitive decline to include a disconnection with others arising from impaired brain function in the temporal lobes responsible for processing speech and language/communication.

One other consideration is the nature of her questions - are they relevant or seemingly out of context to what is going on around her? In other words, is there a reason for asking in the first place? If not, then this would support some disturbance within the brain (mini stroke?) requiring evaluation from a specialist.

Otherwise, it could be random 'chattering' in an imaginary setting which fits the dementia category where your words only play into her dialogue at the time.

Try getting her full attention next time she asks, speaking slowly and directly to help ascertain the problem. Observe her gaze and comprehension, perhaps answering a few more times to be certain it is not merely hearing loss.
I often ask my dad to repeat what I'd said immediately following (as it is readily apparent when he has no idea) - in his case, it is concentration (dementia related) linked to auditory processing.
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