Try: Activities that invoke positive memories joy past accomplishments and a sense of purpose for the Care recipient (cr) will have more meaning keep in mind that the activities that are meaningful to you may not have the same effect on the cr here are some suggestions for making the cr’s activities more meaningful use activities that stimulate the cr’s senses such as listening to music cooking that produces pleasant smells and looking at favorite photographs or movies routine household tasks such as folding laundry caring for a pet gardening housework or meal preparation may also bring back fond memories and make the day more enjoyable for the cr if vacuuming is no longer an option let the cr have a dry swiffer sweeper the cr can sweep until his or her heart’s content and perhaps all day long if it is an enjoyable activity encourage the cr to engage in whatever form of social interaction is available this can provide the cr with something to look forward to and talk about afterwards new memories can be made and new friends and connections can be established make activities simple and adjust the pace for the cr this may keep the cr from getting frustrated activities should also be scheduled at the cr’s preferred time of day intergenerational activities should be considered and scheduled for example the cr could have a tea party or game night with grandchildren don’t be afraid to try new and different activities however be willing to discard them if they cause anxiety frustration or boredom for the cr even if the cr can no longer go to the grocery store planning meals putting together a grocery list and getting out the ingredients for favorite recipes may provide a fun and meaningful activity always have a destination in mind if walking is an activity for example walk to the mailbox and back to the corner and back or around the block the destination will give the cr focus and a sense of accomplishment when the walk is completed ask the cr for help in any activity that you or others are doing this may help draw the cr into the activity and provide a sense of accomplishment purpose and meaning watch the cr to see what activities he or she is drawn to and schedule similar activities for example if the cr gravitates to rooms with music fill other rooms with music as well and include sing-a longs into the activity schedule don’t limit the current activities to the ones that the cr has previously enjoyed and participated in you can always find some activity that is new and exciting for example just because the cr didn’t like to bird watching earlier does not mean that it won’t be interesting now be fully engaged with the cr in whatever activity is scheduled quality time should be a priority keep in mind that some of the mundane things that you consider chores can be fun and meaningful for the cr for example ask the cr to sort socks clean the bathroom and kitchen and so on these types of activities may provide the cr with a sense of routine independence purpose and belonging

Materials: n/a

Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Emotional Psychological, Social, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware

Information: n/a

References: n/a

Keywords: Activities meaningful frustration positive memories

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Encourage the cr to implement the following recommendations be patient you can choose to get frustrated with your forgetfulness or you can choose to accept and deal with it do not continually fret over your absentmindedness actively work on increasing your ability to concentrate by playing brain games eating foods that are healthy for the brain getting enough sleep and so on there are many helpful memory techniques available use a wristwatch cell phone or electronic organizer to set alarms to keep you on track with daily tasks and deadlines for example if you need to take medicine every four hours setting an alarm as a reminder can be very helpful set alarms throughout the day for various things that you need to remember to do if you are computer literate use the microsoft outlook software program outlook has a useful reminders feature that may be helpful at the specified date and time outlook gives you an automatic pop-up window to remind you to do the task the reminders are fairly easy to set up use set storage spaces for everything that you own especially for things that you are prone to lose for example umbrellas flashlights candles batteries pens books old bills and tax returns photos tools and so on maintaining consistency wil be the key to your success use a a safe deposit box at the bank for really important items that you are afraid you might lose it may cost some money but that is a small price for the peace of mind a safety deposit box provides put very important and irreplacable items that you rarely need to look at in the safe deposit box common choices are wills birth certificates passports military discharge papers and other such documents; as well as jewelry and other valuable items try to maintain a healthy perspective and sense of humor about forgetfulness whenever your forgetfulness places you in an awkward position try to laugh it off

Materials: n/a

Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Somewhat Aware, Unaware, So-So L T Memory, Poor L T Memory, So-So S T Memory, Poor S T Memory

Information: n/a

References: Adapted from www memory-improvement-tips com

Keywords: Absentminded absentmindedness forgetful forgetfulness

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Encourage the cr to implement the following recommendations stay physically healthy by having regular check-ups with your physician eating well exercising and keeping on top of any medical problems such as hypertension or diabetes stay mentally active by pursuing hobbies and interests that are intellectually challenging for example playing cards chess taking a class just for the fun of it or traveling avoid multi-tasking as much as possible so that you can focus on one thing at a time write down any important

Materials: n/a

Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Somewhat Aware, Unaware, So-So L T Memory, Poor L T Memory, So-So S T Memory, Poor S T Memory

Information: You need to remember and refer to your written notes frequently repeat new information to yourself several times to help you remember it repetition can be very helpful for example try it with names or dates organize yourself and your environment so that you won’t misplace items like your keys wallet cell phone or reading glasses avoid stress find ways to relax information

References: Adapted from www senioryears com

Keywords: Absentminded absentmindedness forgetful forgetfulness

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Encorage the cr to implement the following recommendations simplify your life don’t be overwhelmed by too many things at once and take tasks one at a time get proper rest and nutrition keep to a schedule individuals who stick to a schedule may be less absentminded than people who don’t get plenty of exercise both physical and mental challenge your brain in new and creative ways throughout life keep items that you use every day in the same place all the time find a place in your house and consistently put your keys or your eyeglasses there for example on the mantle or on the table by the door make effective use of cues and reminders such as sticky notes or a calendar some of your errors due to absentmindedness can be overcome by using reminders for example make a list of things to take every time you leave the house keys billfold glasses incontinence pads and so on

Materials: n/a

Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Somewhat Aware, Unaware, So-So L T Memory, Poor L T Memory, So-So S T Memory, Poor S T Memory

Information: n/a

References: Adapted from www medicinenet com

Keywords: Absentmended absentmindedness forgetful forgetfulness

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Try setting up a regular schedule for cr to follow the goal is for the cr to learn a routine so well that it becomes automatic post the schedule where it can be easily seen by the cr make sure it is on the cr’s calendar help the cr develop a list of goals or tasks to be completed help the cr check off completed tasks so that he or she can see progress encourage cr to have a sense of purpose for the tasks that need to be accomplished a sense of purpose along with structure can help the cr take initiative

Materials: Calendar notebook pen

Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Emotional Psychological, Some Supervision, Maximum Supervision, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware

Information: n/a

References: traumatic brain injury a guide for caregivers of service members and veterans – module 2 by the office of the u s surgeon general no date available at www traumaticbraininjuryatoz org

Keywords: Initiative motivation

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Encourage the cr to use the following effective problem-solving skills identify the problem if the problem has many parts break it down into one problem at a time brainstorm possible solutions together think of as many options as you can evaluate the alternatives consider the pros and cons of each possible solution choose a solution that seems to be the fit best role play with cr to prepare him or her for various situations have cr try the solution out evaluate the solution if it didn’t work try another solution until the cr finds the one that works the best

Materials: n/a

Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Some Supervision, Maximum Supervision, Somewhat Aware, Unaware

Information: n/a

References: Adapted from www traumaticbraininjuryatoz org traumatic brain injury a guide for caregivers of service members and veterans – module 2 by the office of the u s surgeon general no date

Keywords: Decision making judgment reasoning problem solving

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Try getting cr’s attention before speaking try to be clear and to the point keep it simple reduce distractions every so often stop and ask cr to restate what he she heard to ensure understanding try reducing your rate of speech and pause frequently to allow cr time to process and respond try to avoid abrupt topic changes in group conversations help set a slower pace of conversation

Materials: n/a

Categories: Sage, Topic, Cognitive Intellectual, Communication, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Social, Hearing, So-So Hearing, Poor Hearing, Cognitive Awareness, Somewhat Aware, Unaware, Long-Term Memory, So-So L T Memory, Poor L T Memory, Short-Term Memory, So-So S T Memory, Poor S T Memory

Information: n/a

References: traumatic brain injury a guide for caregivers of service members and veterans – module 2 by the office of the u s surgeon general no date available at www traumaticbraininjuryatoz org

Keywords: Conversation communication understand

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Try reading with cr try reviewing the reading material using the 5w strategy – who what where when why for example who are the characters what happened to the characters in the book what did they do about it where did it happen when did it happen why did it happen try to relate the 5w’s they should refer to the same characters or portion of the story try suggesting that cr write out important

Materials: Pen and paper

Categories: Sage, Topic, Cognitive Intellectual, Medical Physical, Social, Vision, So-So Vision, Poor Vision, Cognitive Awareness, Somewhat Aware, Long-Term Memory, So-So L T Memory, Poor L T Memory, Short-Term Memory, So-So S T Memory, Poor S T Memory, Schooling, Elementary

Information: Or say it out loud this will help cr use other senses to increase comprehension try to emphasize important information in the text

References: traumatic brain injury a guide for caregivers of service members and veterans – module 2 by the office of the u s surgeon general no date available at www traumaticbraininjuryatoz org

Keywords: Reading comprehend comprehension

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Help cr do his her prescribed speech exercises properly and regularly allow ample time for cr to express him herself encourage cr to take time to speak inform those around cr about his her speech impairment so they too allow cr time to express him herself

Materials: n/a

Categories: Sage, Topic, Cognitive Intellectual, Communication, Medical Physical, Social, Hearing, So-So Hearing, Poor Hearing, Verbal Communication, So-So Verbal Comm, Poor Verbal Comm, Cognitive Awareness, Somewhat Aware, Unaware, Long-Term Memory, So-So L T Memory, Poor L T Memory, Short-Term Memory, So-So S T Memory, Poor S T Memory

Information: Or say it out loud this will help cr use other senses to increase comprehension try to emphasize important information in the text

References: traumatic brain injury a guide for caregivers of service members and veterans – module 2 by the office of the u s surgeon general no date available at www traumaticbraininjuryatoz org

Keywords: Speech slurred garbled communication

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Practice writing with cr for example suggest that cr write letters to friends or relatives suggest that cr make a list of openings i e dear hello hi etc and closings i e thank you sincerely yours truly and the reasons for selecting them suggest that cr say words out loud before writing them suggest that cr read what he she has written to make sure it makes sense

Materials: Paper and pen

Categories: Sage, Topic, Cognitive Intellectual, Communication, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Personal, Social, Cognitive Awareness, Somewhat Aware, Long-Term Memory, So-So L T Memory, Poor L T Memory, Short-Term Memory, So-So S T Memory, Poor S T Memory

Information: Or say it out loud this will help cr use other senses to increase comprehension try to emphasize important information in the text

References: traumatic brain injury a guide for caregivers of service members and veterans – module 2 by the office of the u s surgeon general no date available at www traumaticbraininjuryatoz org

Keywords: Writing nonverbal communication letters poetry

*This information is listed as a Tip and is not explicitly medically licensed