Professional Memory Training - Improving Everyday Memory: Improving Memory Understanding Age Related Memory Loss
Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School
Professional memory training
You can go it alone and teach yourself techniques for strengthening your memory. Or you can get professional memory training. Some medical centers offer memory training programs in which people meet every week or so to learn memory-enhancement techniques, then practice them as homework. Another alternative is to attend a series of individual sessions with a clinician who specializes in memory and other cognitive problems, such as a psychologist, occupational therapist, or speech pathologist. Such a specialist can recommend specific strategies for the types of memory problems that affect you.
Do memory training programs work? Studies on the effectiveness of memory-enhancement programs have found some benefit. One study included people ages 60–90 whose mental functioning was considered normal but who were concerned about memory loss. Those who participated in a hospital-based memory program performed better on a test of verbal memory than those who did not attend the program. Although the two groups showed no difference on the memory test six months later, the participants felt better, considered their memories to be stronger, and were less worried about their memories compared with people in the other group.
Another study looked at the effects of a broader program on people with mild cognitive impairment. This program encompassed memory skills training and cognitive behavioral therapy, a psychological counseling method that helps people identify and modify negative patterns of thinking. At the end of the program, the participants performed slightly better than a control group on a memory test.
People with memory problems that are substantial enough to interfere with their daily lives are most likely to benefit from individual treatment, where their particular needs can be identified and addressed. If you are considering a memory-enhancement program, choose one that is run by a health professional with specialized training in cognitive rehabilitation. Beware of memory-enhancement programs that use computer games as a one-size-fits-all means of strengthening your memory. Simply playing games that require concentration will not help you remember important names, faces, and appointments. What works are practical tools that are designed to address specific problems you are encountering in your daily life.
Memory training: A patient's experience"I used to have a sharp memory," says Phyllis, 58. But then Phyllis started having trouble remembering all sorts of things. She'd forget where she left her glasses and her keys at home. She'd forget the details of conversations. Formerly an avid reader, she had trouble retaining information that she had read. Her doctor recommended that she see a therapist who specializes in helping people devise strategies and systems to improve everyday memory function. At her first session, the therapist asked Phyllis to tell her specifically what she'd been forgetting, then proposed a strategy for each type of memory lapse. Once a month, Phyllis met with the therapist to discuss how well the strategies were working and to fine-tune them as needed. For example, the therapist suggested that Phyllis put her glasses and keys in the same places whenever she came home. On the occasions when she had to leave them somewhere else, the therapist told her to say out loud where she was putting them. For example, if the phone rang as she was coming in the door and she rushed into the kitchen to answer it, she would say, "I'm putting my keys on the kitchen table." To remember information from conversations, the therapist helped Phyllis learn how to paraphrase it during the course of the conversation. Restating the information in her own words would reinforce it in her mind. To improve concentration while reading, the therapist recommended creating a place in her home just for reading that was free of distractions. Phyllis also learned how to make a brief written note summarizing the key aspect of each section of the material she was reading. Phyllis feels that most of the strategies have proved to be extremely helpful. She still struggles to concentrate on what she's reading, although she's doing better than before she started seeing the therapist. Now that her last memory-coaching session is over, the most encouraging improvements are that she can almost always find her keys and glasses and follow the details of conversations. "I feel my memory is nearly back to normal," she says. |
| Last updated: | January 23, 2007 |
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Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.
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