Unfortunately for people with Alzheimer's disease and dementia, long-term
memories can also be impacted in later stages of the disease, she adds.
For many people, memory improvement is possible. The extent to which memory
can improve, however, will look different from person to person. For instance,
a short-term memory that was never properly encoded is unlikely to return
to your mind. Future memories may have better chances. Individualizing
expectations and talking to a doctor about the severity of your memory
loss challenges can help you set a frame of reference for what you want
to achieve.
“We often think about preventing or slowing further decline rather
than recovery of memory function,” Kristinsson says. “Compensatory
strategies are often employed in order to help the individual cope with
their short-term memory difficulties.”
Compensatory strategies are techniques that can help you work with and
around memory issues – and set you up for success in recalling future memories.
Strategies to boost memory include:
1. Repeating things
Repeat things back to yourself, or write it down.
2. Making reminders
Put a sticky note on your fridge or calendar, or set reminders on your
phone. These can be helpful to keep track of tasks and items on your to-do
lists. Make a list of tasks that may have become more challenging to remember
on a daily basis, such as taking medications or other daily activities.
3. Using your senses
Kristinsson recommends using mnemonics or multimodal processing to contextualize
things you want to remember. Mnemonic devices – like acronyms and
rhymes – work by tapping into how the brain naturally stores data.
For example, she says to give words to visual things you want to remember
(people, nature) and attach images to words. To ensure long-term retention,
rehearse new information after several minutes, several hours, the next
day, then every few days.
“Use verbal cues to remember visual information and use visualization
when learning verbal information,” Kristinsson says. For example,
f you have a new co-worker named Jack and an uncle with the same name,
you could imagine your co-worker with glasses and a beard – just
like your uncle Jack – to help you remember your co-worker’s name.
4. Using visual cues
Visual cues like brightly colored rubber bands or bracelets can be helpful
ways to keep track of tasks you’ve completed or have yet to get
done, Kristinsson says.
5. Setting consistent routines
Setting a consistent daily routine can reinforce patterns and may help
with short-term memory loss.
Kristinsson suggests creating a routine that includes waking at the same
time each morning. Also find time for enjoyable activities on top of personal
care and household responsibilities.
6. Timing activities strategically
How you order your daily tasks can impact your ability to remember them
and get them done smoothly.
Kristinsson explains that “difficult or cognitively taxing activities
should be completed at the beginning of the day when fatigue is low and
attention is at an optimal level, as impaired attention can impact encoding
of new material causing short-term memory difficulties. Large projects
should be broken down into smaller tasks and take frequent breaks when
engaged in a long task.”
7. Minimizing distractions
A clean living and working environment with minimal distractions may help
you focus on your tasks and remember what you need to do.
8. Writing down your personal experiences
The best way to remember personal experiences is to write about them. Memory
research has established that when people write about their personal experiences,
they tend to recall those occurrences much better.
9. Avoiding multitasking
Doing multiple things at once could adversely affect your short-term memory,
particularly as you get older. One study found that people between the
ages of 60 and 80 have significantly more trouble remembering tasks after
they’ve experienced a brief interruption than do people in their
30s and 40s. Research has shown that switching your attention from a laptop
to a cellphone or texting while watching TV decreases the gray matter
in our brains that helps us with sensory perceptions, including decision-making
and memory.