Definition: The state of a person's situational awareness.
Extent of orientation is usually tested by asking about:
- Person -- What is your name? Who are you?
- Place -- What country do you live in? State? City? Where are you?
- Time -- What day is it? Date? Season? Year?
Health care professionals often assess orientation as part of a larger diagnostic work-up for Alzheimer's. People in the early stages of the disease may be disoriented to place and/or time, but are still oriented to person. As the disease progresses, some lose orientation to person as well.
