Does short-term memory transfer to long-term or do the memories never come back?
Repetition over and over is good for this. What is therapy?
The therapist has you do the same exercise repeatedly. Whether it is
speech, physical therapy, or occupational therapy. The therapist knows
different activities and exercises that do the same thing so you don't get bored.
The skill learned will either transfer to long-term memory or become a habit. Either way it is learned. Memory coming back would be faster, but instead of waiting, just start teaching through repetition. If the person gets mad at you ("We already did this!") that's good. The memory is coming back. Just ask what should be done or what happens.
Don't be discouraged if you are repeating for years. Some brain injuries take longer.
The skill learned will either transfer to long-term memory or become a habit. Either way it is learned. Memory coming back would be faster, but instead of waiting, just start teaching through repetition. If the person gets mad at you ("We already did this!") that's good. The memory is coming back. Just ask what should be done or what happens.
Don't be discouraged if you are repeating for years. Some brain injuries take longer.
Good ideas: only thing I can add is that memory isn't usually the problem with brain injury. It's ATTENTION/FOCUS. The way our brains work is that an experience gets into our immediate memory, from which it transfers to short-term memory, and if it's reinforced often enough, into long-term memory. Somehow (and I've never read exactly how this happens, or why it happens to so many Survivors), a brain injury makes it much more difficult for the brain to make this transfer.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love (and empathize with) the cartoon.
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