We all have little forgetful nature which is natural and there is nothing to worry about it, but if you find someone is consistently struggling with memory lapses issue even for the very important aspects and work of life affecting their life badly then it is a sign of medical trouble of memory loss. However, with guidance and support, one can cope with memory loss problem easily.
Forgetfulness is one of the common parts of human behavior and it happens from time to time due to stresses, aging and some usual factors which are likely to happen with all individuals around the world. However when the forgetfulness started to affect oneâs normal lifestyle and remain consistent for a longer period then it calls for immediate medical or professional help in order to relieve it.
A long term memory loss gets chronic with time and develops into some major kind of mental health concerns which becomes difficult to deal with or handle my own or by the family members of the affected person.
Most of the memory loss mental health issues are associated with Dementia diseases. In this particular disease, the affected person suffers from major brain impairment troubles; memory loss and judgmental issue are the primary ones.
A person with memory loss trouble loses his or her sense of social behavior, find difficulty in day to days lifestyle, withdraws for important activities if life and even forget their close familiar peopleâs name and places where they used to visit too often.
Memory loss issue not only affects the person who has developed this concern but it also affects their close people like family members, friends, peer group, colleague and other closed ones.
The person becomes very sensitive and needs very tender care and support in order to recover from this chronic mental health issue along with medical treatment like therapies and medications.
Tips to Cope with Memory Loss
Sounds trifling or light issue initially but memory loss problem get chronic and develops into severe form with time for both the victim and the caregivers as they also have to suffer along with the patient.
The affected person loses their self-confidence and feels embarrassed in many situations due to their inability to remember some common words, recent events and recognizing peopleâs face and name that are very close.
If you are also developing the symptoms of memory loss or find someone affected out of this health issue then our below mentioned tips to cope with memory loss trouble will help a lot to overcome this health concern.
Prepare an Adaptive Environment
For helping a person suffering from memory loss problem one can create an easy adaptive environment so that the victim has to rely very less on the brain for remembering important things of day to day life. A simple and easy adaptive external environment can reduce the struggle and stress burden of the victim to remember important things and makes their life much easier than before.
- Keep the most usable items by the victim at the same place where they pick it or search for it. This will reduce the risk of forgetting when they find desired objects at the same place every time.
- Try to mark visual clues on walls and doors mentioning the direction for reaching a particular place like the direction for washroom, bedroom, drawing room and outdoors.
- Make a duplicate of important things which are often forgotten and lost by the victim due to their memory loss problem. For example make a duplicate key, eyeglasses and any important documents so that it can be easily availed in the cases of immediate need or emergency.
- Keep the environment where the person lives very tidy and well decorated so that the person wonât feel messy and get disturbed out of the mess in the room and around the house where he or she lives.
- Put a noticeboard and sticky notes on walls to remind important phone numbers, tasks mentioning the time when it is supposed to do like eating medicines, foods and any other specific works which are a part of the day to day life.
- Keep important belongings of the person next to the bed or at the same place which is easily visible to the victim like clothing, footwear, mobile etc.
- Try to keep the environment peaceful by reducing the distracting aspects such as loud noise of vehicles, people etc. with soundproof windows etc. This is very necessary as because a distracting noise can elevate the condition of the patient making the memory loss problem worst.
Make a Conversation Easy
People with memory loss issue have difficulty in normal conversation with people even with them whom they used to feel comfortable and close in their normal state of memory. They may be stuck for simple wordâs meaning or forget the name of common objects of regular life and may find difficult to remind the name of people etc.
These simple forgetting of common phrases, people and objects name hampers their ability and confidence level during any conversation and they started to hide for avoiding any future talks with people both strangers and family members. However one can help the victim of memory loss to make a conversation easy and comfortable one with below tricks.
- Understand the context about which the person is talking about and give clues for the next word so that the flow of conversation would not be stuck in between. This will also raise their confidence for the next topic.
- Make sure that the surrounding environment is peaceful and not distracting the victim while conversation.
- Provide enough time to remember things while conversation and give suggestion if it takes too long otherwise the memory loss patient may feel embarrassed and discouraged.
- Donât pressurize the person for remembering next phrase or word. Keep patience while talking with such people.
- Donât use emphasizing term or word while a conversation with them. For example, donât use any words which compel such person to feel they have to know that but they are forgetting it.
- Use tactful ways for a prompt reminder of objects name.
- Choose a time of conversation when the person remains more relaxing and peaceful so that they can remind the name of objects and people and can make a normal conversation. Especially the morning time is considered best to talk with these people.
- Keep an album mentioning the name of people and their relationship behind each picture for an easy reminder of the name of people.
- Avoid visiting rush full places as it can more disturb their minds such as market and any crowd full area.
Usage of Assistive Technology
With time the condition of the patient suffering from the memory loss problem get worst and they have to face immense difficulty while conducting regular familiar tasks as because they forget the sequence in between and get lost due to their weaker memory power.
For example, these kinds of people forget to process even a very small work which they were confident about in their normal stage like preparing tea, cooking a favorite meal etc. However, with the help of assistive technology one can make the life easier of a person suffering from a memory loss problem. Some prominent assertive technology examples include the following.
- Sensor devices help to remind such people to pick up any important belongings such as key whenever they pass through this motion sensors device.
- Meditation reminder devises repeat the verbal message to take medicine at the scheduled time.
- Locator devices help to locate some objects which are more usually lost by the victim. This makes their life easier when they manage to find the required things on time.
- Assemble the necessary things in order to complete one task at a single place so that the affected person can easily complete it without anyoneâs help with confidence. For example for preparing tea to keep all necessary products at the same place with a label mentioning their name and quantity to be used.
- Take the help of reminder signs for assisting the affected person while using any device such as microwave, washing machine etc.
- Use a reminder alarm clock for reminding any important upcoming appointment and event so that it wonât be missed under any situation. For example, set the reminder for the next appointment with the doctor etc.
Easy Reminder of Recent Events and Conversations
A person with memory loss problem often forgets about any recent event and conversation in which they have actively participated. This creates an odd situation for them as well as people who are dealing with them in such a situation.
This happens because one important part of their brain is damaged known as hippocampus which is responsible for processing and keeping new memories. In the lack of a brainâs holding capacity of new events and information, they forget any recent conversation as well as events.
However, this situation can be well handled with proper support from the end of caregivers. The caregivers should understand their mental state as the victim may react that they are listening about something very first time and not familiar with it. Instead of considering it as ignorance from their side it should be considered as their weaker memory state which needs help.
In this context, some below-mentioned tips can help the victim very well to remind any such recent conversation and event and make their condition more comfortable to ease such a typical health issue.
- Donât pressurize the victim about their awareness of such conversation and event for which they are denying their remembrance.
- Donât tell the person that they had participated in the event or conversation.
- Try to give an easily understandable hint while talking about any recent event so that they can recall it without putting much stress on their brain.
- Help them to maintain a small diary or notebook mentioning all recent events and conversations with people, mention the date and timing so that at a single glance they can memorize it easily.
- Keep a visible calendar and circle the important dates of recent events and incidents with little information about them in a bracket.
- Be very specific while asking or discussing recent events or conversation so that they can understand it well and answer you. Like for asking about their lunch menu ask whether they are still hungry or not.
- Always make your conversation short and specific with these people as so many questions and information at a time may overwhelm their brain and they can feel more disturbed instead of understanding anything.
Donât Sit Inactive for a Long Time
Staying inactive for a long time makes a person more puzzled and they more get confused as their mind remains free to think anything which is useless and harmful for their health. Regular indulgence in some kind of work keep your brain active and fit which is very important for recovering from the memory loss mental issue.
Keep yourself engaged in some mind games like puzzle, bridge, try any musical instrument etc. This mental exercise through gaming will help to keep brain sharper and reduce the symptoms of memory loss slowly and gradually.
Talk with people and go in social gatherings as such meetings can help to ease the condition when emotional and social support will be gained.
Ensure Timely and Sound Sleep
One of the biggest cause of memory loss problem in more than average people is lack of proper amount of sleep. For human body and brain sleeping for adequate time is very essential as it is a natural healing and replenishing time of your overall body which prepares it for the next day ahead by keeping you energetic and healthy all the time.
If you or someone else suffers from the memory loss problem then make sure the victim is taking enough amount of sleep especially in the night time for 7 to 8 hours. Consistent sound sleep in the night can improve your brain condition and helps to recover from this chronic mental health issue at the earliest possible time very easily and naturally.
Take Less Stress
Stress is another common and major reason which can cause to develop memory loss health issue in anyone. Any severe emotional trauma in life that matters a lot for the affected person can cause to develop this health concern if persistent for a longer duration.
So by reducing the burden of such mental and emotional stress of life one can easily cope with memory loss problem with time. Try to use distracting tricks to divert the mind from the stress causing matters. With reducing the stress factors in life and with the emotional support of near and dear ones one can ease the symptoms of memory loss naturally.
Consult with Doctor
If memory loss problem remains consistent for several months affecting the major areas of life like professional and social life then it needs immediate medical attention. Take an appointment with a doctor of the respective department and take their guidance to cope with memory loss trouble.
The doctor will take several evaluation tests in order to access your current brain ability. Different tricky problems will be given verbally or through some devices as the doctor find suitable. They will recognize the real cause of your memory loss and start their treatment process accordingly.
There are different therapies which work very effectively for reliving this mental trauma like Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy, Cognitive Stimulation Therapy etc. Apart from this one can take the help of associations and health centers which works 24×7 to give help via online or face to face whenever someone reaches for support and help.
As an old saying goes prevention is better than cure so the same theory is applicable for easing out the memory loss problem time. You must start to follow the tips to cope with memory loss problem as soon as you recognize any small or little signs of this mental trauma either in yourself or in your dear ones who so ever started to develop such concern in order to avoid its chronic symptoms.
[expand title=”View Article Sources“]
- https://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/coping-with-memory-loss#1
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/healthy-aging/in-depth/memory-loss/art-20046518
- https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/sites/default/files/pdf/coping_with_memory_loss.pdf
[/expand]