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| Home / For your patient / speech, language & motor services / adult services / | ||
| memory disorders | ||
| Memory is the storage of things learned and retained
from activity or experience. Cognition refers to thinking skills. Cognition
includes
an awareness of one's surroundings, sustained attention to tasks,
memory, reasoning, problem solving, and executive functioning (e.g.
goal setting, planning, initiating, self-awareness, self-inhibiting,
self-monitoring and evaluation, flexibility of thinking). Cognitive
difficulties are highly common in persons who have suffered tramatic
brain injury. Deficits in cognition vary depending on the location
and severity of the injury to the brain. What Causes Problems with Memory & Cognition? Many illnesses, traumas, and disorders can cause difficulties with memory and cognition including Alzheimer's disease, multiple small strokes (multi-infarct dementia), Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, drug use or interactions, depression, brain tumors, other cerebrovascular disease, head trauma, and alcoholism. What Are the Symptoms Associated with Poor Memory or Cognition? Cognitive-communication problems that can occur include difficulty with attention, memory, organization, reasoning, problem-solving, orientation, social judgment / pragmatics. Attention problems include difficulty concentrating on a task amid distractions and paying attention for more than a few minutes at a time. Also, performing more than one task at once may be difficult or impossible. When a person’s memory is affected, they may have difficulty recalling already learned information, such as street names or important dates, and may not be able to learn new information easily. Organization problems include being able to correctly sequence events when telling a story or giving directions or maintaining a topic while conversing with others. Reasoning may also be impaired and the person may not be able to interpret abstract language, such as metaphors, or respond to humor appropriately. The individual may not react appropriately when presented with a common occurrence, such as a car breakdown or overflowing sink. This is due to impaired problem-solving abilities. Leaving the individual unsupervised may be dangerous in such cases, as they could cause injury to themselves or others. A person who has difficulty recalling the date, time, or place is said to have orientation problems. The individual may also be disoriented to self, meaning that they cannot correctly recall personal information, such as birthdate, age, or family names. When human beings converse, they rely not only on words to convey messages, but also on body language, facial expressions, and intonation (how the voice rises and falls while speaking). Cognitive impairments can cause problems with pragmatics, leading the individual to ignore or misinterpret such nonverbal cues and lose the meaning of the message. They may also lack facial expression when speaking ("flat affect") or speak in monotone or too rapidly. Social judgment may also be impaired and the person may laugh at inappropriate times or say inappropriate things without realizing that they have done so. Who Can Help with Memory & Cognition Problems? Speech-language pathologists certified by the American Speech, Language & Hearing Association (ASHA) with training in the area of memory and cognitive-communication skills can plan and implement treatment to improve and supplement a client’s compromised skills in memory and cognition. What Can Communication Partners or Spouses Do?
People who are interested in more information about memory and cognition issues should contact HSDC’s Speech department at 206.323.5770 V/TTY or email speech@hsdc.org. |
