Memory Trouble? What can an SLP do about that?
Many of our adult clients come to us with memory difficulty. They are at a loss for what to do and do not believe they are ever going to get it back. While we cannot promise that you will get your memory back, we can teach you strategies about retaining information so that you can gain back some (if not all) independence with your memory. This, of course, is diagnosis dependent as we can help those with degenerative diseases, such as dementia, retain their current level of memory longer (it can be up to several years if the family and individual are motivated enough) and even make minor improvements in the short run, but, as with any degenerative disease, it will most likely not stay that way. Below are a few tips that I drew up for an old PT coworker when she asked about tips/tricks.
Strategies to help prevent memory loss
Write important information down in one notebook/phone app
Say it out loud! When you hear yourself say what you are wanting to remember, you are encoding it by thinking about it, saying it, and hearing yourself say it. It takes 3 times of saying something out loud (on average) for you to recall it later.
Association- associate what you are trying to remember with something else you already know— “Oh, my son’s name is Daniel so I should remember your name as well” and don’t forget to repeat it!
Visualize what you are wanting to remember (in detail). "The bike my granddaughter wants for Christmas is red with training wheels and has rainbow tassels coming off the handles.” The more detail you add to your visualization, the more likely you are to remember what you are trying to remember.
If you like these tips and want to learn more, reach out and schedule a free 15 minute consultation!
