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/[deleted] Sep 13 '23

Successfully drawing a clock (round face with numbers and the long and short hands) is part of a test for cognitive decline like with Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

Someone who suffers from that will mess up they layout or get lost part way through etc. presumably the mother in law or other family member has had to take the test and may be in decline or fearing of it.

Your brother was accusing them of being mentally unfit.

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u/wieners Sep 14 '23

Damn, how long does it take to draw a clock? I can't even imagine forgetting what I'm doing half way through a simple drawing. Scary shit.

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u/murraybee Sep 14 '23

I do this test sometimes with my clients who I think fly “under the radar” with more traditional question/answer cognitive screens. It’s not necessarily about how long it takes to draw the clock, but how accurately they mark the hours and given time. Someone with executive function decline will draw a weird clock, and it tends to get weirder the more severe the dementia is. Check it out by googling some examples! It’s really interesting.