Difficulties with memory or thinking are defining features of having dementia and make it harder for you to go about your life. People often think that there is ‘nothing can be done’ for memory and thinking changes, but it is not true.
Many people suggest it is helpful to think of symptoms of dementia like other disabilities. If you have a disability from arthritis or following a stroke, you learn to make adjustments so you can still do things to look after yourself, get around, and live life.
Different types of dementia will have different impacts on memory. The types of memory problems that people with dementia experience, especially early in the course of dementia vary widely.
For example, some people will be very forgetful of events, others may have more difficulty remembering faces. Usually, short-term memory of recent things is harder to recall, while memory for people and events in the medium to distant past is easier to recall.
There are many strategies for ‘working around’ or even addressing problems with memory and thinking. These include:
- Medications (see Article 3.3)
- Cognitive therapies and rehabilitation (see Article 3.4)
- Memory aids and environmental strategies (see Article 3.5)
You can read about these in the following articles.
Some people with dementia are more bothered by the way that their memory and thinking problems interfere with their lives, than the problems themselves. Some of the suggested strategies and therapies you’ll read about in the following articles focus on improving memory and thinking whereas others focus on minimising the impact of thinking difficulties on daily life.
For more information
Read the following articles (3.3- 3.5) for ideas and strategies to manage memory and thinking changes:
