My Mom has told us that she has Alzheimer's disease but none of us have ever assisted. What can we do?

Go with her to the MD appointment and get her to sign the HIPAA forms. If she refuses, get full Guardianship, because she really needs it. She is either very ill physically or confabulating and delusional. Do not delay.

Unless one of you has medical POA or has a signed HIPAA release from her, you cannot GET information from her doctor. What you CAN do is fax or mail her doctor a letter, outlining what information Mom is telling you. You can ask the doctor what the best course of action is for you all to take to help her with her diagnoses. This signals to the doctor that mom is sharing information with you all (which may or may not be true) but not allowing you all to assist. S/he could talk to your mom about the need for her to share the burden with you and your sibs, or it may alert her/him to the fact that mom is having delusions. In any event, you should let the doctor know what is going on. You should NOT expect to hear back from the doctor.