How can I train memory with cognitive software?
Memory training with cognitive software is a strategy that helps professionals (Neuropsychologists, Occupational Therapists…) to improve rehabilitation sessions. Cognitive training programs are designed to stimulate different areas and have proven effects on memory, attention, perception, executive functions, language and other cognitive functions.
First of all, it should be noted that the Rehametrics cognitive training program is for professional use only and has the qualification of medical device granted by the Spanish Medicines Agency (Agencia Española del Medicamento).
It is a therapeutic tool that, in addition to providing activities designed for therapy, will help the professional to quantify treatment. That is, after several sessions, the Rehametrics cognitive software allows you to analyze the results obtained. You can consult and export the reports on the patient’s evolution, as well as personalize them and create a pdf or paper document to share with the patient and his/her relatives.
Advantages of memory training with software
We know that the patient with memory impairment may need continuous treatment. Paper-based activities can be very unmotivating. The patient may feel that he/she is “doing homework” and not at all receptive to performing the exercises. However, utilizing devices with touch screens, such as tablets and smartphones, or computers can lead to increased motivation and adherence to treatment.
On the other hand, there are more advantages when performing memory training with professional cognitive software:
- Planning and Consistency: Create a training plan that fits each patient’s needs and lifestyle. Consistency is key to obtaining results, so it is important to establish a guideline that suits each individual. The program allows you to plan your week, with treatment time planned for each day; It can be used both in person and at the patient’s home. By remote control, the professional can know whether the patient has completed the sessions or not and know in detail the answers. Adjustments to the schedule can also be made.
- Variety and Customization of Exercises: Cognitive rehabilitation software offers a variety of exercises designed to stimulate different aspects of memory. You will find a great variety of activities to work on short-term memory, working memory, prospective memory, delayed memory, visual memory, auditory memory…
- Gradual Challenge: For therapy to succeed, it must present each patient with the appropriate level of challenge. The software automatically adjusts the difficulty based on the user’s performance. For example, the patient starts with exercises of low to moderate difficulty and, as he improves, the difficulty of the exercises gradually increase The optimal challenge is important for the activity to be effective and to achieve long-term benefits.
Examples of memory training exercises
Short-term memory exercises are easy to make. On the other hand, we can go much further by proposing activities of deferred memory, prospective memory, working memory… Here are a couple of examples:
Deferred Memory Exercises
The patient is presented with a series of stimuli that he must try to remember. This is followed by another activity that is not related to the previous one (e.g. a calculation exercise). After some time, we return to the first task and the patient must retrieve from memory the stimuli initially presented.
This exercise is just an example, and it can be adapted in different ways. The same technique can be aplied with objects, geometric shapes, numbers or even sequences of events. The key is to engage short-term memory during the initial study and then allow the information to be processed and transferred to long-term memory during the retention interval.
Training Prospective Memory
In prospective memory training activities, for example, a criterion for stimulus selection is proposed. However, at a given moment during exercise a special stimulus appears. This means that the initial criterion is modified and a different criterion must be met. The patient should be attentive to the appearance of the special stimulus that indicates the change of criterion.
These are just a couple of examples, but you will find a wide variety of activities in the Rehametrics cognitive rehabilitation program. It should be added that the software is updated every few months, so new activities are added to make it always stimulating and fun for both patients and professionals.
More than 160 Exercises available in the Cognitive Software
