Journal to Improve Memory!

Keeping your mind working is the key to retaining optimal brain functioning and memory. The Mayo Clinic has confirmed that journaling is one of the best things you can do to ensure that your neurons continue to fire! Journaling will also help reduce stress, and provide relaxation, which has been shown to help recall. Make a commitment to yourself today and begin!

Your journal can be personal, or can be completed as a scrapbook with family.  Spend 30 minutes each day writing. Things you can write about include:

It's Your Story and You're Sticking To It!!

• Facts About You
• Your Family Tree
• Love Letters
• The people in your family
• Special moments in your life
• Treasured memories
• Places You Have lived
• Places You have traveled to
• Places you would like to see
• Your hobbies
• Your favorite activities
• Your favorite music
• Your beliefs
• Your favorite poems, books

Scrap Book to Improve Memory and Create New Memories!

This is an activity that can be done with the whole family!

• Facts About You
• Paste Pictures of Your Family onto a Family Tree
• Favorite Family Photos
• The people in your family
• Special moments in your life
• Treasured memories
• Places You Have lived
• Post Cards of Places You have traveled to
• Awards
• Your hobbies
• Your favorite activities
• Your favorite music
• Your Favorite Flowers
• Insert News Clippings
• Favorite Recipes
• Your favorite poems, books
• Include your favorite greeting cards
• Make and insert an audio CD
• Write Your Life Story!

A fabulous activity that helps sustain the memory of people who have been diagnosed with mild or moderate cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s Disease is writing an autobiography. Writing an autobiography helps the person who is experiencing memory impairment to recall significant events in their life, and ground thought processes in a context that is comfortable and familiar. Writing an autobiography, including describing life experiences, things accomplished, places lived, beliefs, important and close people, family and friends, hobbies, and lessons learned in life with wisdom to be imparted can be therapeutic to the emotions, and can help sustain and improve memory. (Insert research here.)

When the person who is experiencing memory loss undertakes an autobiography with help from a ghost writer who is sensitive to memory problems, there are benefits and joy for the whole family. In fact, including the family in the writing of an autobiography can be fulfilling and rewarding. If you are experiencing problems with memory, or have mild cognitive impairment or moderate cognitive impairment, writing an autobiography will serve to help you retain cognitive functioning, and will memorialize your life, if and when the day comes that you are not able to tell it yourself. (And that day will come for all of us, whether or not we have cognitive impairment!) With an autobiography, the story of your life will remain alive for generations to come.

If you are the caregiver for someone who is experiencing cognitive impairment and memory loss, helping your loved one to write an autobiography is an activity that is therapeutic for your loved on and enjoyable for the whole family. It is a rich, bonding experience of warmth and joy. Moments in time and joyous laughter will be created, that will be remembered for years to come.

Your autobiography can be centered around your favorite pictures, your favorite poems, books, music, and activities..

You can write your autobiography on your own, or work with an experienced professional Ghost Writer, who will help you develop your ideas, guide you through the process, and accomplish editing, binding and publishing of your autobiography.