One of y'all left your mean and nasty mom in my mom's memory care, can you come get her?

Thanks to both of you, I can't reply individually for some reason so I'm combining my answer here. The potatoes comment is funny, but that is something I would expect from memory care, residents often say things like that, one gentleman is always asking where his wallet is etc. But this lady seems to have a baseline of viciousness, even when she says nice things. Which is not common. I was sitting with mom and she said to us are you 2 OK? And I said yes thank you and she said THANK GOD. Very emphatically, like some ordeal was over. And yes I say hello to her when I see her, though that is always a little scary, because I saw someone asked her if she was resting comfortably and she yelled 'yes until you came along and ruined it!' One gentleman asked the staff where he was supposed to sleep, and she yelled out 'sleep on the floor!' But her real viciousness is reserved for the staff, and yes Margaret I'm glad I don't work there and have to deal with it all the time .

You basically just described my 100-yr old Aunt. Her thoughts and words are often a tossed salad of content, and she talks incessantly. She is on medication for mood since at the beginning she was crying all the time. She often calls names and insults. If someone is the least bit "tan" they may get called the "n" word as well. She is nothing like how she was in her youth: funny, and sweet. I've learned how to engage with my Aunt because right now I'm providing hands-on daily care while my cousin takes a well-deserved break from caregiving. In the case of the new NH resident, I personally would not engage with her at all yet. You say she just landed there so (like others have suggested) it may take that resident some time to adjust and her behavior may actually improve. I hope so for the sake of all the other residents.

cignal, I remember when my Mom was in Rehab after she had a terrible fall. The fall accelerated her into late stage dementia.

I remember overhearing my Mom's room-mate calling out to my Mom "the d*** potatoes are done" just as I was entering the room. Turns out my Mom kept asking at different times, out loud, if the potatoes were ready. And she kept saying that day after day. I felt so sorry for her room-mate having to listen to that.

Apparently either my Mom had stopped saying that on her own, or the doctor had prescribed something that helped.

Hopefully the new resident will settle in.

Just wondering if when you walk by this woman on the way to your mom's room do you say Good Morning to her? Do you say good bye when you leave?
Granted it may take a while for her to get used to the facility and the staff.
It may take a bit to get medications for anxiety adjusted.
And there are people that make noise, talk, yell as a way to get attention. I am not talking about attention the say way a child throws a tantrum but as an example my Husband was non-verbal the last about 8 years of his life. He moaned, sometimes LOUDLY sometimes a bit more quiet. Whenever I was on the phone he got louder. It was is he wanted to participate in the conversation. If he was watching a Cubs ball game...I had to wear earplugs. Same with the Bears! (Honestly there are day when I really miss that noise and it is more than 5 years since he died...)
Be patient.
Be glad you are not a staff member and have to listen to it all day.
Be glad it is not your mom.
Be glad that there is not more than 1 doing the same thing.