Memory Strategies

Perhaps the most important compensatory strategy is to be aware of memory limitations and make the necessary allowances.

• Plan ahead and allow adequate time to read and re-read information.
• Reduce distractions while memorising information.
• Avoid trying to memorise information while you are tired, anxious or angry. Attempts to learn information during these times will lead to frustration. Always study with a clear mind.

Experiment with the strategies listed below and find out what works best for you. Try asking others around you if they have noticed any improvement in your memory.

Help Yourself to Remember

One of the simplest approaches to improving memory is to rehearse information to be stored. This ensures the material has been attended to and provides opportunity for repetition.

The following ideas can be useful if put into practice:

• When introduced to someone, immediately repeat that person's name and use it as much as possible
• Ask for instructions or information to be repeated
• If instructions are given, rephrase them in your own words and check with the other person that you have understood correctly. For example, Jeff's boss asked him to finish the welding job before he rings the delivery company and then to order some parts from the usual supplier and spend some time helping the new apprentice. Jeff replied, "Okay, so you want me to firstly finish the weld, then ring for the delivery truck and then to order the parts for the new job." Jeff's boss then reminded him "and then to help out the new apprentice." This saved any misunderstandings and gave Jeff an opportunity to repeat the information and help commit it to memory. He also repeated the instructions to himself silently.

Another technique some people find helpful is to use clues to jog their memory. For example, to go shopping for bread, milk, butter and orange juice, David used the word BOMB (Bread, Orange juice, Milk, Butter) to help him remember all the items he planned on buying. Malcolm, on the other hand, finds it helpful to associate things he wants to remember with visual images. To help trigger his memory, Malcolm, imagines his kitchen table with bread, milk, orange juice and butter upon it. When in the supermarket, he has a clear mental picture of the things he plans to buy.

Useful Memory Aids

Many people - with or without memory impairment - rely on external memory aids. For example, some people use diaries to remember appointments, others use lists to go shopping or alarms to remind them of a cake in the oven. People with ARBI can benefit from a range of memory aids.

Lists

Shopping lists, lists of errands to run or to-do lists for work or home are a very good way to ensure nothing is forgotten. It can feel very rewarding to cross out items you have completed. While lists are valuable, it is best not to rely on them as your only memory aid. Lists are easily misplaced, lost or accidentally thrown out.

Keeping a Diary

A diary is a good solution for people who rely on loose notes they cannot find. Using a diary to record appointments, dates, birthdays, and meetings is an excellent way of jogging your memory. In addition, a diary can act as a planner to list your plans or goals for the day. It can be used as an organiser to help you better manage your time, especially if you have a diary that allows you to write notes for each hour of the day. A useful strategy is to write a list of jobs to be done tomorrow, prioritise them and then note them down in your diary/planner, allowing plenty of time for each chore.

Using a Whiteboard

A whiteboard can be used to jot down important reminders, or to display a timetable that organises your day or week. The advantage of a whiteboard is that if it is placed in an obvious position (for example, on the fridge), you probably won't forget to look at it. A whiteboard is extremely useful for families in which a member has ARBI (mild, moderate or severe) and can incorporate a roster as well as the usual comings and goings of family members.

Other Prompts

A useful way to incorporate something new into your routine is to pair what you need to learn or remember with something you never forget.
For example, a common complaint of diary users with ARBI is that they never remember their diary, and if they do, they forget to look in it. One solution would be to tie the diary to your wallet (or something you are accustomed to having on you) with a rubber band. Another would be to connect it to your cigarette packet, so that every time you have a cigarette you are prompted to look in your diary. New medication can be another easily forgotten necessity. Try placing your medication with something you always remember - your toothbrush or shaving equipment.
Written prompts (posters, pictures) can be placed in prominent places where you always look - for example, the toilet wall, next to your bathroom mirror, on the inside of the front door or on your bed head.

Alarms

You can use an alarm or a timer (for example, on your watch or clock) to prompt you to look in your diary or consult your timetable. For example, a timer can be set to go off each hour to remind you to look at your diary. Eventually you may be able to stop using the timer when consulting your timetable becomes part of your routine.

Study Techniques

For those people with mild ARBI, there are some useful study strategies available to improve your ability to learn and remember information. In many cases, people with ARBI will need to be better organised and spend more time studying than they once would have. While study may once have come easy, successful learning may now depend on developing efficient study strategies. You may find that reading over information is not enough to commit it to memory. In many cases, more active approaches to study are necessary. Help is available at universities and colleges to assist you to apply effective study techniques (usually from a disability liaison officer). One good approach to studying is the PQRST technique, outlined briefly below.

• Preview the material.
• Ask yourself questions about the material.
• Read the material.
• State the material, and the answers to your questions.
• Test yourself.

Another effective way to improve your memory for studying is to organise material so that it is easier to learn and to retrieve. Information to be memorised is best done if organised under headings and in a logical order that is meaningful to you. A useful way to achieve this is to jot down key points that can be used as headings on your first reading of the material. On further readings, you can note down information under the heading, putting the information into your own words so that it is meaningful to you.

Assistance with Problem Solving

The following approach to solving problems and making decisions can be effective for anyone faced with a new challenge or situation - whether they have ARBI or not. The best approach to solving a new problem is to follow these procedures using a pen and paper.

1. State the problem.
2. Brainstorm for alternatives - ask friends, case workers, local doctor, and family. Make a list.
3. List the advantages and disadvantages of all alternatives.
4. Eliminate alternatives that are not viable.
5. Choose the solution you think is best.
6. Evaluate the outcome. If the problem was solved, give yourself a pat on the back. If the problem was not solved, learn fromthe mistake and go back to step 3.

Planning and Organising

Don't put off important jobs. Write a plan. Check it. Then make a start. Try following these guidelines:

• Write down the job.
• Break down the job into steps; make a list of the things you will need to do and all the equipment you may need.
• Put the steps into order.
• Can you think of any problems that may come up? Ask for another opinion.
• Begin working on the job, one step at a time. Each time you finish a step, tick it off and go on to the next step.

Here is an example. Darren needs to arrange to have his car serviced and tries using the above procedure to help him make plans.

• Job. Getting the car serviced.
• The steps. Ringing around to find a good deal, making sure there is enough money to pay for it, making a booking with a mechanic, making sure his wife is not left without a car when she needs it, getting home after dropping the car off, picking the car up, organising keys, finding out how long it will take and what time to pick up the car.
• Putting the steps in order.
• Make a list of dates the car is not needed (when Cheryl doesn't work).
• Ring a few garages for quotes.
• Pick the best quote.
• Check when there will be enough money to pay for it.
• Ring the mechanic and arrange a date that suits Cheryl, me and our finances.
• Ring to find out how to get home by public transport.
• Separate the car key from my house keys so I don't get locked out!
• Write down the mechanic's phone number so I can ring and find out when it will be finished.
• Look in the Street Directory and plan how to get to the mechanic shop.
• Set the alarm to allow plenty of time to get there.
• Ask Cheryl and a friend if I've forgotten anything.
• Tick off each step as it is completed.

This system can be used to make plans for many different jobs - doing the washing, planning a holiday, shopping, planning a budget or fixing the toilet.

Establish a Good Routine

The best way to compensate for your impairment is to concentrate on two major objectives:

• Avoid putting too many demands on your weaknesses (memory and problem solving skills)
• Make the most of your strengths and unaffected skills

People with ARBI live to their highest potential when their life is organised, when their life is predictable, and when life follows a good routine. Once a good routine is established, many people with ARBI cope so well that few people even know they have impairment. The routine ideally should include all aspects of your life including:

• Daily living (showering and dressing)
• Household chores (ironing, cleaning)
• Meals
• School meetings
• Shopping
• Paying bills
• Attending to the car
• Work
• Relaxation
• Interests and hobbies
• Exercise and recreation
• Social activities
• Appointments with doctors, counsellors and other health professionals
• Ringing friends
• Visiting parents
• Feeding pets

Organise your activities so that they occur at the same time each day or week. For example, if you are prone to forgetting appointments with your doctor or counsellor, try making the appointment at the same time each week. Similarly, try fitting all your activities into a pattern or routine. It may be difficult at first to stick to the routine, but after a while it will come naturally and you will find life runs more smoothly. Having a good routine also means organising your home so that things are kept in a logical place, and are always kept in the same place. This will prevent you from misplacing or losing things.

Give Yourself Time

Allow sufficient time to do jobs, solve problems and make plans. It is when you are rushed or under pressure that your impairment is more likely to become obvious. You will cope best if you allow yourself ample time to ask for advice, plan your approach, write things down, go over them until they are familiar, take a break if necessary and work at your own pace.
Don't hesitate to tell others you need time to think, time to complete tasks, time to adjust to change and time to make decisions. It is important that you avoid letting others rush you. If you need more time - ask for it.

Plan Some Relaxation

Organise your lifestyle to be as stress-free as possible, and ensure your routine includes plenty of time for exercise and relaxation. Walking, yoga, meditation or relaxation training can be effective ways of dealing with stress and anxiety. There may be other examples you can think of - whatever works for you.

Make Use of Your Strengths

Feeling good about ourselves is often closely related to being successful, to achieving our goals and being good at what we do. It is important for you to engage in and develop interests that make use of your strengths. Try writing a list of things you are good at and enjoy succeeding at.