Taylor Article Examines Temporalities of Dementia
Posted: 4/16/2025 (CSDE Research)
The clock-drawing test is a common tool for assessing cognitive function, that offers an entry point for considering how time itself is experienced in the context of dementia care. In a recent article published in the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute entitled “The clock-drawing test: reading temporalities of dementia from clinical chart notes,” CSDE External Affiliate Janelle Taylor (University of Toronto) explores how clinical interactions reflect broader social and historical forces shaping time, from cultural expectations of aging to shifts in labor and medicine. The article draws on analysis of medical records of three older adults in Seattle who developed dementia without close family. It considers how dementia reshapes our understanding of time, and how memory and temporality alike are deeply social and embodied. Read the full article here.