Memory Book Final 2017 Memory Book Final 2017 | Page 5

Contrast the uninformed husband to one who knows that his wife’s disorganization
and poor memory are the result of the aneurysm and who has some ideas about
how to teach her to use a memory book to help her carry out various tasks while he
is gone during the day.
The informed husband first shifts his explanation from an emotional one (“she
just isn’t trying”) to a behavioral one (“she can’t remember to do what she has
planned”). He shifts his ideas about why she is making these mistakes from a
blaming attitude (“she’s doing this on purpose”) to an informed attitude (“she has
memory problems because of damage to her brain from the aneurysm rupture”).
Armed with information, the husband is better able to design a treatment plan
that will help his wife learn how to spend her time at home in a more productive,
safer, more satisfying way. He is less frustrated, less harsh, and more forgiving of
her errors. The survivor, encouraged instead of criticized, makes a better effort, and
feels more positive in the process.
With a basic understanding of behavior principles, the husband can design a plan
to systematically teach his wife to use a memory book. First, he needs to analyze
the problem. Simply giving her a list of things to do will not be effective, as she will
forget to consult the list during the day. The husband must help his wife build a
new habit of looking at the memory book frequently throughout the day and using
lists in the book to organize what she wants to accomplish while he is away at work.
The treatment plan used by the husband or other caregiver to encourage the
development of future memory skills with a memory book is based on the principle
that practice produces results. Once the habit is established, the survivor is
increasingly capable of planning and following through on her plans without help.
The plan starts with active involvement from the husband, and as the wife practices
the skill, it turns into a habit. This process is repeated with new tasks to learn until
the recovery process is complete.
In this case, the key skill learned by the wife is to consult her memory book on
an hourly basis and to follow the plans she and her husband established the day
before. By using cues to prompt repetitive practice, the husband helps his wife
learn to use a list to accomplish her goals for the day.
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