Sign 4: Time and Place Disorientation – A Critical Marker of Dementia
Individuals with early signs of dementia often display a disorientation of time and place. This is not about the occasional forgetfulness of a date or misunderstanding the time difference between time zones. Instead, it’s a more persistent struggle with maintaining a coherent sense of time and location.
This could manifest as losing track of dates or seasons. This isn’t just about forgetting a specific date; it’s about a continued struggle with the passage of time, often leading to the individual being unsure about significant events like holidays or personal occasions like birthdays.
People with dementia may also have a harder time understanding events that aren’t happening immediately. This isn’t about forgetting a future appointment; it’s about struggling with the concept of planning for future events, making it hard for them to understand anything that isn’t happening in the ‘now.’
Another aspect is the confusion about their whereabouts. This isn’t just about momentarily forgetting a location; it’s about a recurring inability to recognize familiar places, often making the individual feel lost or disoriented.(4)
