A visuospatial loss is one of the symptoms of dementia and is not as easy to recognize as other symptoms such as memory loss. You know that there is memory loss when the individual no longer remembers their address, but how do you assess for visuospatial loss?

One of the easy ways that this is assessed is the Clock Draw test. The individual is asked to draw a circle or is given a sheet of paper with a circle drawn on it. The tester then asks the individual being tested to put in the numbers as if the circle were a clock. When they are finished with this, the tester asks the individual to place the hands of the clock at a specific time.

Families are often aghast at what they see. The numbers may be inside or outside the circle, there may not be 12 numbers, the 12 numbers may all be in the first quarter of the clock. There are as many variations as there are individuals with dementia taking the test.

One of the individuals that took this test drew two hands with five fingers each on the clock. The individual heard the word “hands” and understood that to mean something totally different than clock hands. Sequential testing with the Clock Draw is a good indicator of changes in visuospatial coordination and can be used to identify when it is no longer safe to drive.

Other things that can occur with loss of visuospatial coordination is falling. The individual is not able to judge step height or depth. The senior may trip because they cannot judge a street curb or a bathtub or shower barrier. The individual may drop items because they cannot judge distance in a kitchen cabinet or a refrigerator. When we consider how many times a day we look around us for clues to our place in space, we soon realize that this is a huge safety risk.

It is interesting to see the outcome of the Clock Draw test. Many sites demonstrate the abnormal results of this, and it can be a screening test used by a nurse, social workers or doctor to recommend further assessments. If you need more information about Visuospatial loss, please get in touch with me here.