Memory aids and tools
Read about aids that might help with different types of memory problems.
The memory handbook
People with memory problems have suggested some of the following aids to help remember things. You might think of them as different tools for tackling different problems. You may have already used some of them.
Look for aids that fit with the skills you already have. For example, if you have never used a reminder function on your mobile phone, you may find it difficult to start using it now.
An occupational therapist can offer practical advice. For more expensive items, you might be able to ‘try before you buy’ – perhaps from an ‘assisted living’ shop on the high street or a disabled living centre. Contact your local authority for details of your nearest centre, or see the Disabled Living Foundation.
If you are not able to see a product before buying it, there might be online videos which show people using and reviewing the item. Whatever aids you use, people around you can support you to use them.
Common memory aids
Other useful memory aids
Talk to friends and family about which aids you might use. Plan together how you’re going to use the aid and ask for their help. Focus on learning to use one aid at a time.
You can find some of the daily living aids featured in this section in the Alzheimer’s Society online shop.
Free Helpcards
Our free helpcards can make it easier to get help or assistance when you're out in the community.
- Page last reviewed:
Put a calendar, wallchart or noticeboard in a place where you will see it frequently – on the fridge or by the telephone, for example. You could use a whiteboard to note activities or tasks for the day, and wipe them off as you do them.
A notebook or large ‘week to view’ diary can be helpful. You can write down things you want to remember, such as lists of things you need to do, or have done. Keep it somewhere easy to see, such as by the telephone or in a fixed place in the kitchen.
Get into a routine of checking a diary, calendar, noticeboard or whiteboard – perhaps when you wake up in the morning, every mealtime, or every time you make a drink.
Cross the day’s date off your calendar before you go to bed, so that you are certain about the date when you get up the next day.
Write a few sentences or stick photos in a daily journal. You can look back in it to remind you what you have done or how you felt.
A journal may also give you something to show others or to talk about. You could collect mementos of things you’ve done to add to the journal as reminders. For example, you could keep a receipt from a meal out, train tickets, or a programme from an event.
You could use an automatic calendar clock. As well as showing the time, it will remind you of the date and day of the week.
Take a list when you go shopping. Cross things off as you put them into your basket. If you use the same shop regularly, it can be useful to write the list in the order of the shop’s layout. A friend or family member might be able to help with this.
At home, keep a list of items as they run out so you can keep track of what you need.
If you find it difficult to write, you could keep part of the packaging of items you’ve run out of. Or you could use a voice recorder to help remind you what you need to buy.
Keep a list of important and emergency contact numbers by the phone. For example:
Leave your list by the phone or store the contacts in your mobile phone so that you have easy access to any professionals you might need to get in touch with.
Consider buying a phone that allows you to pre-programme your most commonly used numbers into it. Then you would only need to press one number, or a button with a photo on it, to call someone.