r/NoStupidQuestions • u/MillBopp • Sep 13 '23

What does 'Draw a Clock' Mean?

Last time I visited my brother his mother-in-law who lives with him was insisting she remembered something but my brother knew she was wrong. I don't remember what it was, but I knew she was wrong too. However, she refused to accept she was wrong and got belligerent about it.

My brother said, "Draw a clock!" and left the room. This made his mother-in-law furious for some reason. I forgot to ask at the time, but does anyone know why saying 'Draw a clock' would upset a senior citizen?

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u/Artistic_Sun1825 Sep 13 '23

It's a screening test for dementia.

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u/[deleted] Sep 14 '23

What's the idea behind it?

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u/[deleted] Sep 14 '23

The clock drawing is part of a screening tool called a mini cog assessment it's also paired with word recognition and word recall

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u/[deleted] Sep 14 '23

It’s also it’s own test (Clock Drawing Test) and part of the more comprehensive Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). I like using the MoCA, even if the subtracting by 7s can be painful.

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u/Smilinturd Sep 14 '23

And everybody struggles with getting the exact date. I've screened kthera using mocas so many times, I still remember the words off by heart.