Privation of Memory: What Can Be Done to Help Stroke Patients Remember?

Weakness, pain, swallowing difficulties; many patients are aware of these common post-stroke physical symptoms. However, stroke can also affect thinking abilities, or cognition. Cognition can be thought of as how people use their brains to talk, read, write, learn, understand, and remember. Approximately one third of stroke victims will develop memory problems. Losing skills in this area may affect ability to conduct activities of daily living and thus the ability to live independently. This publication serves to provide background information on memory loss after stroke and actions to implement that may improve memory.