If you have someone that you love that is having trouble with their memory, be it because they are getting older or have some kind of medical condition, you might wonder what you can do to help make life easier for them. Luckily, regardless of how much trouble they are having with their memory, there are things that you can do that can help you learn how to cope with the changes for them as well as helping them learn how to adjust to their new normal.
To help you see how this can be done, here are three ways to help someone dealing with a fading memory.
Learn To Adjust Expectations
The first thing that you’ll want to do when you have someone that you love who is dealing with memory loss or is having a fading memory is to learn how to adjust your own expectations of them.
For many people, it can be hard to come to terms with this new version of the person that you’ve known for so long. You may remember times when they could quickly and easily do certain tasks. But as they start to lose their memory, they likely won’t be able to do these things anymore. And if their memory loss is progressive, they will slowly start being able to remember or do fewer and fewer things.
Knowing this, you should try to come into every interaction with them with managed expectations. If something appears out of their reach now, do your best not to make them feel bad or sad about this but to pick up the slack for them as best you can.
Strive To Be Gentle And Positive
When you’re interacting with someone that you love who’s having memory issues, it can be hard to see how they’ve changed from who they were when their memory was strong. As a result, you might find that you quickly lose your patience with them or feel yourself getting overwhelmed or discouraged by their current state. But because their memory loss likely has nothing to do with anything that they’ve done, you should strive to be as gentle and positive as you can with your loved one. Try not to show them that you’re worried or upset about their responses to things, as this can easily upset them as well. Rather, try to be positive with them about what they can do.
Help Them Stay Organized
Just because your loved one may not have the memory or abilities they once did doesn’t mean that you can’t help them try to remember all that they can and keep themselves and their life organized.
To help them do this, assist them in writing important things down for themselves. This way, they’ll always be able to double-check themselves when their memory starts slipping.
If you know someone whose memory is failing them, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you both cope with this situation.