The last thing Graham said to Jack on "The Young and the Restless" was that he would need good luck with his mother, Dina. This may have been a hint that Ms. Mergeron is dealing with a form of dementia because since Graham is no longer around, she seems to be displaying very odd behavior. One minute she is teetering and tottering around as if she is senile and the next she is sharp-tongued and hostile. In one scene she seems vulnerable and frightened and in another, she seems strong-willed and confident. Now Dina is making decisions that indicate she is becoming increasingly unstable and leaving behind a trail of damage.
Dina may be dealing with dementia
Over the past few months, spoiler alerts have hinted that Jack and Ashley's mother may have dementia, and this is why Graham was sticking so close. Several times when Ms. Mergeron woke up without her trusted companion close at hand she seemed disoriented. Now since having a mini-stroke, her behavior is swinging back and forth like a pendulum. When her children found her in Florida, Dina was laughing and drinking with two other women as if she did not have a care in the world. When she saw her son, however, she turned on him with venom and said that she hated him.
Jack and Ashley managed to get her back to Genoa City, where her behavior is increasingly unstable, and Ms.
Mergeron is now leaving a trail of damage everywhere she goes. Dina was rather spunky with Abby about her personal life, even asking if Zack was good between the sheets. This question obviously shocked her granddaughter and was a source of embarrassment. She later chastized Nikki and brought up the fact that she was a stripper who used to dance on poles.
Dina is displaying wreckless and dangerous behavior
Graham may have been a source of comfort for Ms. Mergeron, who helped keep her impulses in check, but now that he is out of the picture, she is all over the place. On Halloween, Jack told Traci that their mother was upstairs in bed when Dina actually had slipped out of the house, teetering and tottering as she walked, like a confused little old lady.
In those moments it was clear that she was in some state of emotional decline, and she was roaming the streets of Genoa City without anyone taking notice.
Dina walked to The Underground, where she set a picture of Brent Davis on fire, using flames from a jack-o'-lantern that Nick had left lit. As she was leaving, she knocked over a glass with an alcoholic beverage, which was the reason the club burned down. The next day, Gloria and Jack found that his mother had taken charge at Jabot, making decisions that were not within her authority. When confronted, Ms. Mergeron was confident and self-assured, even chastising her son for making poor business decisions.
This was such a contrast from the feeble looking woman on Halloween night.
Clearly, Dina is suffering from something that was in place before her stroke. If not properly diagnosed and treated, she will continue to wreak havoc in Genoa City, and disrupt the lives of those around her. Stay tuned to "The Young and the Restless" weekday afternoons on CBS at 12:30 PM.