Thinking About "Time" in Long Term Care Settings.

In childhood we measured time in comparison to phenomena. Time varied depending on a number of factors, some are described in the following quote from Einstein's Dreams, by Alan Lightman:

“Suppose that time is not a quantity but a quality,... Time exists, but it cannot be measured. In a world where time is a quality, events are recorded by the color of the sky,... the feeling of happiness or fear when a person comes into the room. Likewise, the time between two events is long or short, depending on the background of contrasting events, the intensity of illumination, the degree of light and shadow, the view of the participants.”

Years ago, a client informed me that "the elderly like to watch cars going by on the interstate". The way it was presented was that it was an activity. Lightman's description of time shows that it isn't just an activity. Movement and change in a view help ground the elderly residents' perception of time.