Living with Memory Loss
Coping with memory loss, and adapting to changes in the ability to think, remember, and learn can be a time of sadness and frustration for both the person affected and their family/friends. While your loved one may clearly remember things that happened long ago, recent facts and events can be quickly forgotten. They may have trouble keeping track of time and places; remembering appointments, people, names, and finding the right words. Memory loss can also decrease their confidence in social interactions.
We’ve collected some of the tips other individuals facing life with Alzheimer’s disease have shared with us over the years. Our hope is you find something that helps make things just a bit easier for your loved one.
Memory Tips
Have your loved one keep a notebook with them, and ask them to write down any information they want to remember, such as people's names, telephone numbers, and addresses.
Write your loved one’s contact information on the inside cover of the notebook.
Label your loved one’s cupboards and drawers with words or pictures that describe their contents, such as dishes and silverware or sweaters and socks.
Put your loved one’s phone, keys, wallet, or purse in the same place every time or tag it with a TILE or other tracking device.
Work with your loved one to make sure things are put away in the same place each time. Don’t let clutter build up.
Keep a set of photos of people you see regularly; label the photos with names and other information that will help your loved one identify them, such as “lawn”, “pharmacist”, and so on
Get your loved one to “stack their habits”: That means linking something they need to do with something they are already in the habit of doing. For example, start a habit of taking a new medication along with dinner.
Change the way they approach tasks: STOP Multitasking! Concentrate on one task at a time.
Minimize distractions. If they are interrupted, have them try to return to the task as soon as possible.
To help them focus, have them repeat things out loud. Ask them to say the name of the person they’ve just met, or say aloud where they are putting something.
To help retain the material they want to remember, first determine what they need to remember for their purposes. Then, decide how much has to be in their memory, and what can usefully be stored in an external memory device such as a notebook, file, or journal. Writing information down, in the right place, is better than their having to scour their memory for the information.
Develop strategies that help them memorize a particular thing, such as the familiar rhymes used to remember the days in the month ("30 days hath September"). You can help them make up their own, by linking the thing you want to remember to a mental picture.
Coping with Feelings
Learning about the diagnosis and then living with the changes caused by memory loss can cause your loved one to experience a range of emotions including sadness, fear, anger, and frustration. The progression of memory changes may contribute to increased feelings of loss of control, fear, and social isolation. It’s unfortunate, but it is common for people with memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease to also get a diagnosis of major depression or generalized anxiety.
Managing Your Moods
Memory loss can make your loved one feel as if they are losing control. Having your loved one tell those around them how they feel may give them comfort and increase their support.
Importantly seek help from your loved one's physician regarding their mood.
It may help for the loved one to spend time with friends or family or to do something they enjoy.
Your loved one may find comfort in creative expression through writing, photography, music, arts and crafts.
Consider having your loved one write their memoir or story. Have them use a journal to record their thoughts and feelings.
Make sure your loved one looks after themselves, including continuing their usual exercise routine, and resting when they are tired.
Have your loved one eat properly by following the MIND diet: A diet rich in dark vegetables and fruits may help protect brain cells. Eat less fat and more antioxidant-rich foods.
Exercise is the elixir of life: It increases endorphins, which are natures’ antidepressant. Walking is easy, and even 10 minutes a day can give your loved one a boost.
Have your loved one stop drinking or limit their alcohol intake as recommended by your treating doctor
Have your loved one stop smoking/chewing tobacco
Make sure your loved one takes their medications as prescribed
Encourage your loved one to stay connected to their community, neighbors, spiritual/religious advisor, family and friends.
If you (or your loved one) are suicidal, seek urgent professional help. Call 9-1-1.
Sometimes talking to family/friends, being part of a support group or talking to a counselor who knows about memory loss can help.
Please talk with your own/loved one’s healthcare provider before using any of this information.
