Improving everyday memory
| May 1, 2008
In-Depth Report
Improving everyday memory
Although there is no miracle drug for people with normal age-related memory loss, there are plenty of specific techniques you can learn to improve your ability to retain new information and skills. Doctors and other clinicians who work with people to improve their cognitive performance and memory have found these strategies to be very effective. They aren't difficult to master. Indeed, many are simple things that you probably do already, but can benefit from doing more regularly. In other words, make an investment of time to reap the rewards of a sharper, quicker mind.
These techniques fall into three general categories: organizational tools, behavioral strategies, and memory-enhancing techniques that make new information meaningful and relevant to you, thus making it easier to remember.
Organizational techniques
Most people need to organize a multitude of facts each day: dates and locations of appointments, people's names and phone numbers, even where you left the car keys. Information that is well organized is much easier to learn and remember. There are many organizational tools, including time-honored ones such as address books and calendars, as well as electronic organizers that beep to remind you to do something. It doesn't matter which tool you choose; what matters is that you use it consistently.
Here's a brief list of the types of information that people often forget and some time-tested organizational strategies to help you remember:
Belongings. Have a designated spot for your most important personal belongings (keys, glasses, handbag) and always put them there when you're not using them.
Meetings and appointments. Maintain a calendar or an electronic pocket organizer in which to write appointments and important dates, and keep it with you at all times. For people who don't use electronic organizers, some experts recommend a "memory notebook," a binder that has a weekly calendar and paper for writing down important information. Develop the habit of checking your organizer or notebook at least several times each day.
Daily tasks. In addition to listing your appointments, keep a list of the miscellaneous things that you have to do each day or week — people to call, items you need to buy, routine maintenance on your car or home, and so on. Keep those to-do lists in your electronic organizer or memory notebook.
Contact information. Keep your address book up to date with the names and phone numbers of friends, relatives, and professionals or companies with whom you do business (bank, doctor, dentist, etc.). All electronic pocket organizers contain an address book function.
Vital information. Keep important documents like insurance papers and medical records in a file cabinet or other designated location. Record other vital information in your electronic organizer or memory notebook. You may want to list the medications you are taking and when to take them; your medical history; names and phone numbers of your doctors, health insurance company, homeowner's insurance, and credit card companies; and work numbers of your closest relatives and friends.
Locations. Keep maps of your area and other places you visit regularly in your car or at home. Before going somewhere new or unfamiliar, check the map. Visualizing where you are going can help reinforce your memory of the verbal directions you may have written down. And just knowing that you have a map can help minimize any anxiety you may feel about getting lost.
Checklists. For procedures that you may have difficulty remembering from one time to the next (like using a digital camera or programming your video recorder), write the steps down and post them nearby.
Behavioral strategies
Certain behavioral strategies can help improve your ability to learn new information effectively and retain it over time.
Focus
Your ability to focus your attention and absorb information quickly declines with age and contributes to age-related memory loss. The slowdown in processing causes a bottleneck of information entering your short-term memory, reducing the amount of information that can be acquired and encoded into long-term memory. You can enhance your focus and attention by doing the following:
When someone is talking to you, look at the person and listen closely. If you missed something that was said, ask the person to repeat it or to speak more slowly.
Paraphrase what is said to make sure that you understand it and to reinforce the information. For example, if someone says, "We can see the movie either at Loews Theater at 7:30 or at the Paramount at 7:50," you might respond, "Which would you prefer, 7:30 at Loews or 7:50 at the Paramount?"
If you find that you tend to become distracted during conversations, try getting together with people in quiet environments, such as homes instead of noisy restaurants. When you do meet people at a restaurant, sit at a table near a wall. If your companions sit against the wall and you sit facing them, you'll be able to focus on them without having your attention wander to other diners.
You can improve your ability to focus on a task and screen out distractions if you do one thing at a time. Try to avoid interruptions. If someone asks you something while you're in the middle of reading or working, ask if the person can wait until you're finished. Don't answer the phone until you've finished what you're doing — let voice mail take the call.
Repeat
You will remember new factual information more effectively if you repeat it to yourself or out loud. If someone gives you directions, for example, repeat them to the person to make sure that you got them right. Discussing newly learned material with a friend or colleague is another way to help reinforce it in your mind.
Ensure comprehension
The more thoroughly you understand new information, the greater the odds that you will remember not only the general concept but also the details. You can improve your comprehension by rereading material, asking questions about it, and discussing it.
Make a note
How many times have you had a brilliant idea while getting ready for bed or standing in line and then forgotten it? Many people assume that if a thought is important enough, they will remember it. But this is unrealistic. When something significant occurs to you, write it down as soon as you can. The act of writing things down actually helps reinforce them in your mind, so you may not even need to refer to your notes to help jog your memory.
Before going to the doctor's office, make a list of questions you want to ask or things you want to mention. Jot down thoughts as they come to mind: ideas related to your job, possibilities for birthday and holiday presents, the names of restaurants you'd like to try or books you'd like to read, or movies that you didn't see when they were first released. These are the sorts of ideas that often fade with time, but that you know you'll want to remember.
Practice spaced rehearsal
Research on learning has shown that "spaced rehearsal" is more effective than "cramming." In other words, you will remember something more effectively if you rehearse it for one minute once an hour for 10 consecutive hours than if you rehearse it for 10 minutes all at once.
If you have trouble retaining complicated information — for instance, when you read an article, take a course, or start a new project at work — try using spaced rehearsal. Write down the main points of what you have just learned and then review your notes once or twice. Read them again the following day and then again the day after. Spacing out these study sessions gives your brain a chance to consolidate the information that you have learned and form a more durable memory of it. Neuroscientists have found this technique helpful even for people with mild cognitive impairment.
Do small tasks first
It's only natural to turn your attention to the large, important tasks at hand and let the mundane tasks slide. The problem with this approach is that small tasks, like answering phone messages and filling out a form for your child's school photo, tend to pile up and then get forgotten. If you act on them quickly, you don't have to worry about remembering to do them later.
Be patient
One of the main reasons memory declines with age is that the brain processes information more slowly. Give yourself the time you need to absorb new information. Don't consider it a sign of personal failure that you need to slow down in order to learn something new. Experts note that the speed with which you learn new information is just one component of your mental abilities, and it's not even the most important one.
Many older people who participated in the MacArthur Foundation Study on Successful Aging said that when mental pursuits were important to them, they could compensate for the slowdown in their mental processing by being patient with themselves and working harder.
Troubleshooting memory problems: Common memory lapses and strategies to overcome them |
|
What you forget |
How to remember better |
Names |
When you meet someone for the first time, use his or her name in conversation. Think about whether you like the name. Think of people you know well who have the same name. Associate the name with an image, if one comes to mind. For example, link the name Sandy with the image of a beach. Write the person's name down in your memory notebook, personal organizer, or address book. |
Where you put things |
Always put things you use regularly, such keys and eyeglasses, in the same place. For other objects, repeat aloud where you put them. As you put an object down, make a point of looking at the place where you put it. If you still don't think you'll remember, write down in your memory notebook or personal organizer where you put the object. |
What people tell you |
Ask someone to repeat what he or she just said. Ask the person to speak slowly; that way, you'll be able to concentrate better. Repeat to yourself what the person said and think about its meaning. If the information is lengthy or complicated (such as advice from your doctor), use a small cassette recorder or take notes. |
Appointments |
Write them down in an appointment book, in a calendar that you look at daily, or in your personal organizer. |
Things you must do |
Write them down in your personal organizer or calendar. Write yourself a note and leave it in a place where you'll see it (for instance, on the kitchen table or by the front door). Ask a friend or relative to remind you. Put an object associated with the task you must do in a prominent place at home. For example, if you want to order tickets to a play, leave a newspaper ad for the play near your telephone. If you must do something at a particular time (such as take medicine), set an alarm. |
Adapted with permission from Winifred Sachs, Ed.D., Center for Cognitive Remediation and Treatment, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. |
|
Memory-enhancing techniques
You've probably heard stories about people with extraordinary memories and wondered how they do it. You may also have heard the term "mnemonics," which comes from Mnemosyne, the Greek goddess of memory, and refers to techniques for remembering information. One mnemonic device is to think of a word that rhymes with a person's name so that you don't forget the name. Another is to come up with a sentence or phrase to help you remember something, such as "Every Good Boy Does Fine" for recalling E, G, B, D, and F, the notes that fall on the lines of the treble-clef musical staff.
Associations
When you learn something new, immediately relate it to something you already know. Making connections is essential for building long-term memories. What you're really doing is making the information meaningful, thus aiding your hippocampus in consolidating it. Making connections between new and old information also takes advantage of the older pattern of synaptic activation, piggybacking the new material onto a prefabricated network.
Remember names by making associations with the first letters. For example, it's fairly easy to remember the National Aeronautics and Space Administration because it is familiar as the acronym NASA. You might try this technique with people's names, too. Let's say you meet someone named Louise Anderson. Her initials are L.A., an association that's easy to remember because it's already familiar as the abbreviation for Los Angeles.
Make associations to remember numbers such as access codes or pin numbers that you need to use regularly but, for security reasons, don't want to write down and keep in your pocket. For example, if you need to remember the number 221035 to get your voice mail: 22 could remind you of Catch-22, and 10 might be your house number, while 35 was your age when your oldest child was born.
"Chunking" information
Another technique for remembering a long series of items is to regroup them — for example, so that a list of 15 things is organized into three groups of five. For example, when you do grocery shopping, think of the items you need by categories, such as dairy, produce, desserts, frozen foods, and so on.
Chunking is also useful for remembering numbers. Phone numbers are naturally chunked into the area code, local exchange, and remaining four digits. Let's say your checking account number is 379852654. Instead of memorizing it as a string of nine single digits, try grouping the digits into three triple-digit numbers: 379, 852, and 654. That way, you'll reduce the number of chunks of information you need to remember from nine to three.
Method of loci
This technique originated in ancient Greece and it is still one of the best ways to memorize complex or lengthy material, like speeches. The idea is to link the main points of the material to specific locations so that thinking of those locations triggers your recall.
Here's how it works: First, think of a familiar route, such as your commute to work, and imagine traveling that route, noting the stores and other landmarks along the way. Next, pick out the main points in your speech or other information and relate each point in sequence to a landmark on your route. When giving your speech (or recalling the information), think about commuting to work and seeing the landmarks. The image of the landmarks will help your memory.
The loci that you use can be geographical routes or even the rooms in your home. They do not have to be places — they can be times that are significant to you, such as the days of the week, the months of the year, or even the chronological ages of your immediate family members. The concept is to associate each idea you want to remember with some type of locus in a sequence.
The SQ3R Method
SQ3R means Survey, Question, Read, Recite, and Review. This five-step method is particularly effective for mastering a large volume of technical information from a textbook or professional document.
Survey the material by reading through it quickly. Concentrate most on the chapter headings and subheadings, as well as the first sentence of each paragraph, to get an overview.
Question yourself about the main points of the text. The more provocative and interesting your questions, the better able you will be to mentally organize the material when you re-read it.
Read the text carefully for comprehension, keeping in mind your questions from the second step. Don't take notes or underline yet — doing so at this stage can actually interfere with your comprehension by interrupting the flow of information.
Recite what you have just read, either to yourself or to someone else. Speaking out loud helps deepen your understanding of the material. Now is also the time to take notes.
Review the text, as well as your notes, a day or two later. Now, think critically about the information: does it support or contradict other information you know about the subject? Go back to your questions from step two. Can you answer them? Do any questions remain? Review the text quickly several more times over the next several days or weeks to help yourself consolidate it and store it in your memory.
Phyllis's story: 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 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. |
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 to 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 (see "Can computer games save your brain?").
Can computer games save your brain?Sharper memory? Enhanced cognitive skills? And all from playing a computer game? While electronic games were once the exclusive domain of the young, savvy marketers are using the tantalizing promise of an agile brain to seduce an older demographic. Products with names such as "Brain Age" and "Big Brain Academy" offer a smattering of math and logic problems, analytical challenges, and memorization exercises, as well as the ever-popular sudoku puzzles. Some of them allow for multiple players and include tools for tracking your progress. But before you race to the electronics store, keep in mind that no one holds a patent on mental stimulation. 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. To stay sharp, your mind needs regular workouts in creative thinking, problem solving, and intellectual focus — all of which are available without shelling out a dime. So unless playing on the computer offers you special pleasure, look to an activity you enjoy (reading, playing cards, or doing crossword puzzles are some excellent examples) for your cognitive stretch. |
Review Date: 2008-05-01
Harvard Medical School does not endorse products or services.
preview