What Is Time-Shifting in Dementia?

Dementia affects far more than just short-term memory. For some people, it can also change how they perceive time, their surroundings, and the people around them.

Those with dementia sometimes believe that they are living in an earlier period of their life. They might say they need to collect their children from school, prepare to leave for a job they retired from, expect to visit a late parent, or fail to recognise their adult child because they remember them as much younger.

This is known as time-shifting. It can be confusing and emotional for themselves and the people around them. Understanding why it happens and knowing how to respond can make these situations easier to navigate.

What Is Time-Shifting?

Time-shifting occurs when a person living with dementia thinks that they are living at an earlier point in their life. They may become confused about when they are living and interpret what is happening around them using memories from the past.

Time-shifting is more common in people with Alzheimer’s disease; however, people with all types of dementia can experience it. It also becomes more common as dementia progresses, but it is not a definitive symptom of later-stage dementia.

Memory plays an important part in helping us understand what is happening around us. A person with dementia may have difficulty accessing more recent memories. This causes them to rely more heavily on memories from earlier in their life when trying to make sense of the present.

During later-stage dementia, short-term memory is often significantly damaged. As short-term memory deteriorates, recent information (like moving into a care home or retiring) becomes difficult to retrieve. However, memories formed in childhood or early adulthood are often deeply ingrained and remain accessible for longer. When current surroundings feel unfamiliar or confusing, the brain naturally relies on these intact older memories to make sense of the present. 

For instance, an individual who spent 30 years waking at 6:00 AM to go to work may wake up, feel a strong sense of purpose, and start getting ready for work. They are using their most accessible memory framework to navigate their morning.

Time-shifting can fluctuate. A person may move between experiencing themselves as living in the past and recognising the present, potentially several times during a day.

If you are supporting someone with dementia who is experiencing time-shifting, it is important to remember that their experience can feel very real to them. They are not deliberately making up stories or choosing to live in the past. Their dementia has changed how they understand what is happening around them.

Common Examples of Time-Shifting

Time-shifting occurs for many people living with dementia. A survey in 2018 found that only 1 out of 49 carers did not care for a person with dementia who experienced time-shifting.

Regardless of its commonality, time-shifting can look different for every individual. However, common patterns include:

• Asking for deceased relatives: Repeatedly asking where their late mother, father, or spouse is, expecting them to arrive soon.
• Parental instincts: Expressing urgent concern about needing to cook dinner for or pick up young children who are now grown adults.
• Work routines: Insisting they must go to work at a previous job.
• Misidentifying family members: Mistaking an adult child for someone else, or struggling to recognise a spouse or relative because they expect that person to look much younger.
• Confusion with modern technology: Struggling to comprehend modern appliances, smartphones, or digital remotes because such technology did not exist during the era they are experiencing.

Are There Other Forms of Confusion?

While time-shifting is a perceptual change associated with dementia, it is distinct from other forms of confusion:

If someone with dementia develops a sudden or rapid change in confusion, awareness, behaviour or ability to communicate, do not automatically assume this is time-shifting. A sudden change over hours or days can be a sign of delirium, which needs urgent medical assessment.

Delirium can have many causes, including infections, medication, dehydration, pain and other medical problems. If someone suddenly becomes confused, seek urgent medical help rather than assuming it is simply part of their dementia.

How to Respond to Time-Shifting

When a loved one is experiencing time-shifting, attempting to force them into the present reality using logic or confrontation often leads to distress, shame, or agitation.

Avoid Unnecessary Arguments

If someone is experiencing time-shifting, repeatedly telling them that they are wrong may cause distress without helping them understand the present. Consider whether correcting the person is actually in their best interests, particularly if they are happy and content.

Instead, listen to what they are saying and consider what they might be trying to communicate. They may be looking for reassurance, trying to complete a familiar task, or expressing a need for safety and comfort.

Respond to their Emotions

Look past the literal words to identify what the person is feeling. This is usually a desire for safety, purpose, comfort, or love.

Someone with dementia may say, “I need to go home, my mum is waiting for me.” Avoid saying “Your mum died 30 years ago, and this is your home now.”

Instead, validate that they are missing their mother by saying, “You’re thinking about your mum today. She sounds like a wonderful person. Tell me about her while we have a cup of tea.”

Respond to the Desire for Purpose

If someone insists they need to go to work, acknowledge their strong work ethic rather than dismissing it.

Try responding with, “You’ve always worked so hard. Everything is taken care of at the office for today, so let’s rest for a bit first.”

Gently Introduce Yourself

If a loved one struggles to recognise you because they remember you as a child, avoid testing them by saying “Don’t you know who I am?”

Instead, calmly introduce yourself: “Good morning, Dad. It’s Sarah, your daughter. It’s lovely to see you today.”

Practical Ways Carers and Families Can Help

• Learn their life history: Knowing a person’s previous career, childhood routines, former pets, and family background provides vital context. Understanding this will allow you to respond to questions and situations.
• Use familiar surroundings: Personal belongings, familiar photographs, music, and objects connected with someone’s life may provide comfort and opportunities for conversation. The aim isn’t to force someone to remember, but to create an environment that feels familiar and meaningful.
• Embrace reminiscence: Talking about the past intentionally through photo albums, familiar music, or traditional crafts provides a healthy, positive outlet for older memories.
• Create a supportive environment: Good lighting, reduced noise, clear visual cues, and visible analog clocks can help reduce overall disorientation. Studies on environmental modifications in care settings suggest that clear visual structures help support better daily orientation and reduce anxiety.

Person-Centred Care and Time-Shifting

In a professional care setting, addressing time-shifting requires a personalised, empathetic approach rather than a rigid set of rules. Care plans should detail an individual’s life history, key relationships, and preferred comforting phrases. This information can help care staff understand why someone might behave in a particular way and identify approaches that are reassuring and meaningful for them.

Supporting Your Loved One

Time-shifting can be challenging to navigate. But by meeting the person in their reality, focusing on their emotional wellbeing, and honouring their life history, families and care teams can ensure that individuals living with dementia continue to feel safe, respected, and deeply understood.