Hello, The imbalance may be due to many causes such as ear related issues, stroke, cervical spine changes, anemia etc. What surprises me in your mother s case is that it improves with Xanax, medication like Xanax are not helpful for imbalance, in theory, they could even worsen it especially in someone that age. So the fact that it improves on Xanax makes me suspect that anxiety might be a causative factor as well, anxiety is helped by Xanax. I would check with your physician for the causes of imbalance I mentioned. If nothing is found and anxiety is suspected it might be considered to start an antidepressant for long term antianxiety treatment as Xanax shouldn t be used for long periods, apart from creating tolerance and dependence in the elderly it affects cognitive functions. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Olsi Taka, Neurologist