My 98-yr-old mother has been dozing off out of the blue. She also has a cough like her throat is dry. She seems weaker. Is this bad?

Have you tested her for Covid? Cases in the U.S. are increasing at present.

In addition to all that's been mentioned, she could have developed an allergy to something. Are there any new pets in the household? A different fabric softener? A plug-in or other air freshener? Possibilities are endless.

Coughing could be a sign of congestive heart failure.

A cough is never a good thing and can signal anything from pneumonia to end of life. Get mom checked out immediately.

You need to get Mom in for a check up.

Is Mom on blood pressure medication? Has it been changed recently? My Moms cough was caused by her blood pressure med. She was put on a different one.

General in aging it is more sleeping and less eating.
Yes, at 98 you will see a lot of slowing.
Discuss cough with your mother's next MD visit. In general there is drying of all things, skin, nasal membranes, mucous membranes, eyes, etc. MD can sometimes give you something to help. If there are currently no swallow deficits I wouldn't overworry this until your next MD visit.

Sleeping more tends to be normal. However, the weaker and cough in addition to sleeping more is a cause for concern.

I would suggest a call to her primary or even a video visit is it is possible.

She is 98, it could be happening for any number of reasons.

My father is going to be 97 in October. He spends most of his day dozing. I think it is normal for nonagenarians to sleep a lot.

My 96-yr old Mom will doze off when the house is quiet, especially after she eats.

The cough can be concerning, and we're not doctors, so you should take her in. My Mom developed a cough and after much examination they determined it was due to her kyphosis (curvature in her arthritic spine) not allowing her to expel properly. She doesn't have it all the time. Then in June she developed a cough and it turned out to be bronchitis, which was treated and went away. She never seemed to have had a cold so I was shocked when she got that diagnosis.

And as has been suggested by others, she could be aspirating her food. She can have xrays and a swallow study.

It sounds like perhaps your mother is aspirating her food and drink thus the cough.
I would now bring hospice on board, so they can keep her comfortable and safe until she leaves this world for the next.

At her age, almost anything is possible. Ask her doctor about your concerns or have her seen. The dozing off is completely normal. She’s lived an incredibly long life and being tired is to be expected. I wish you both peace

It depends on what you think is ‘bad’. At age 98, what many of us would want is a gentle peaceful death. What do you want?