Assistive Technology for Memory and Cognition

OVERVIEW

Memory and cognition describe how a person takes in information, holds onto it, and retrieves it when it is needed. Assistive technology in this area supports remembering appointments and intentions, finding things, following steps, staying oriented to time and place, and reducing how much a person has to keep in mind at once.

This page describes categories of technology by what they do, not by diagnosis. The tools here may be useful to people with brain injury, stroke, dementia, intellectual disability, learning disability, attention differences, long term health conditions, or age related memory change, and also to people who simply find these supports useful. This page does not diagnose any condition and does not recommend technology for any individual.

HOW THIS PAGE RELATES TO EXECUTIVE FUNCTION

Memory and executive function are related but distinct. Memory is broadly about holding and retrieving information. Executive function is broadly about managing action, including planning, starting tasks, sequencing steps, prioritizing, managing time, and monitoring progress.

The two overlap in practice. A reminder alarm can support prospective memory, which is remembering to do something in the future, and it can also support task initiation, which is an executive function demand. Working memory sits at the boundary between the two, because holding information in mind is a memory process that supports executive tasks.

The distinction matters because the reason a task breaks down changes what is likely to help. If someone knows exactly what to do and when, but does not remember to do it at the moment it matters, a well timed prompt may be enough. If someone remembers the task but cannot decide where to start or in what order, a prompt alone may not help and a planning or sequencing support may be more relevant.

Assistive Technology for Executive Function covers planning, prioritization, time management, and task initiation supports in more depth. Many people benefit from tools drawn from both pages.

PROSPECTIVE MEMORY AND REMINDERS

Prospective memory is remembering to carry out an intention at the right time or in the right situation. It is a common everyday difficulty, and it is one of the areas where technology is most directly useful, because a device can hold the intention and deliver it at the moment it is needed.

Categories include calendar alerts, single and repeating alarms, location based reminders that trigger on arriving somewhere, medication reminder tools, and reminder features built into phones, tablets, watches, and smart speakers.

The usefulness of a reminder usually depends less on the tool and more on whether the prompt arrives at a moment when the person can act on it, and whether it is specific enough to be actionable.

REMEMBERING INFORMATION AND EVENTS

Supports for recalling information include voice recorders and recording features, note taking applications, photo based records, message and call logs, and structured places to put information so that it can be found again rather than recalled from memory.

Low technology equivalents remain important. Memory notebooks, a single designated notebook or binder used consistently, wall calendars, whiteboards, and written logs are long established supports. For some people a paper system is more reliable than a digital one, because it is always visible, needs no charging, and does not depend on navigating software.

ORIENTATION SUPPORTS

Orientation supports help a person stay aware of the day, date, time of day, place, and what is scheduled. Categories include clocks that display the day and whether it is morning, afternoon, evening, or night, dated displays, visible daily schedules, and signage or labeling at home.

Orientation supports are frequently environmental rather than electronic. A clear label on a cupboard, a visible daily schedule in a consistent location, or a consistent place for keys and glasses can reduce memory demand without any device at all.

VISUAL SCHEDULES AND SEQUENCING SUPPORTS

Visual schedules present what is happening, in what order, in a form that can be looked at rather than remembered. They may be photographic, symbol based, or text based, and may be paper or digital.

Step by step task supports break a multi step activity into individual steps, presented one at a time or as a checklist. These are used for routines such as morning preparation, meal preparation, laundry, or work tasks. The support may be a laminated card, a printed checklist, a photo sequence, or an application that advances through steps.

Sequencing supports reduce the amount a person has to hold in mind at any one moment, which is why they often help even when recall of the overall task is intact.

PROMPTING AND CUEING TOOLS

Prompting tools deliver a cue at a particular moment. Prompts may be auditory, visual, vibrating, or a combination. They may be scheduled in advance, triggered by location, or delivered by another person remotely.

Prompting can support independence, but it can also become intrusive or easy to ignore if there are too many prompts or if they are poorly timed. The number, timing, and specificity of prompts generally need adjustment over time.

SMART DEVICE AND MAINSTREAM TECHNOLOGY SUPPORTS

Many memory and cognitive supports are already built into devices people own. Phones, tablets, computers, watches, and smart speakers include calendars, reminders, alarms, timers, notes, voice recording, voice assistants, and item finding features. Accessibility settings on these devices can also reduce visual and interface complexity.

Because these features are already present, they are often the lowest cost and least conspicuous place to start. Low Cost Assistive Technology covers built in accessibility features and other lower cost options, and Mobile Device Accessibility covers phone and tablet accessibility settings in more depth.

SIMPLIFIED INTERFACES AND REDUCED COMPLEXITY

For some people, the barrier is not the absence of a tool but the complexity of the tool. Options include simplified phone interfaces, launchers or home screens that show fewer and larger options, single purpose devices, reducing the number of installed applications, turning off non essential notifications, and setting up a device so that the most used functions are immediately visible.

Reducing complexity is a legitimate intervention in its own right, and it is frequently more effective than adding another application.

ENVIRONMENTAL CUES AND SMART HOME SUPPORTS

Environmental supports change the surroundings rather than adding a device the person must operate. Examples include labeling, consistent storage locations, contrasting colors to make objects easier to find, reducing clutter on work surfaces, and lighting that makes the environment easier to interpret.

Smart home technology can extend this, for example with automated lighting, voice control of devices, or routines that run at set times. Environmental Control and Smart Home Accessibility covers this category in more depth, including privacy, reliability, and setup considerations.

MEMORY, COGNITION, AND DAILY ROUTINES

Memory and cognitive supports are frequently used in the context of everyday activities rather than as standalone tools. Medication routines, meal preparation, household tasks, and appointments are common areas. Assistive Technology for Daily Living and ADLs covers those activities and the technology used within them.

For older adults specifically, memory and cognitive supports are often one part of a broader picture of remaining safely and independently at home. Assistive Technology for Aging in Place covers that context.

SAFETY AND INDEPENDENCE CONSIDERATIONS

Some memory and cognition supports intersect with safety, for example medication timing, appliance use, or leaving the home. Technology in these areas raises questions that go beyond whether a tool works, including how much monitoring is appropriate, who has access to information about a person's activity, and whether the person has agreed to it.

Supports that involve tracking a person's location or activity carry significant privacy and autonomy implications. Decisions in this area should involve the person themselves wherever possible, and should be made with their care team rather than on the basis of general information.

This page does not address clinical management of memory or cognitive conditions, does not recommend monitoring of any individual, and does not provide medical advice.

CHOOSING AND ADJUSTING SUPPORTS

Selection generally works better when it starts from a specific breakdown rather than from a category of tool. Useful questions include what exactly goes wrong, when it goes wrong, what the person is already doing that works, what is already available on devices they own, and who else needs to understand the support.

Supports in this area usually need adjustment after they are introduced. Prompts may need to be fewer, clearer, or at different times. A tool that is not used may be the wrong tool, or may simply need setup changes. AT Assessment and Selection describes the general framework for matching a person, a task, an environment, and an access method.

WHEN AN AT EVALUATION MAY HELP

An evaluation may be helpful when several strategies have been tried without success, when needs are changing, when safety is a concern, when a support is needed across multiple environments or by more than one supporting person, or when it is unclear whether the difficulty is primarily memory, executive function, attention, language, or sensory.

AUTHORITATIVE RESOURCES

• National Institute on Aging, Memory Problems, Forgetfulness, and Aging, for general information on memory change and practical strategies including calendars, notes, routines, and consistent storage locations

• MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine, Assistive Devices, for a general overview of assistive device categories including cognitive supports

• Administration for Community Living, Assistive Technology, for the Assistive Technology Act and state level AT services

• AT3 Center, National Assistive Technology Act Technical Assistance Center, for state assistive technology programs, device demonstration, and device loan

This list is a curated starting point, not a complete bibliography.

RELATED ASSISTIVETECHNOLOGY.ORG RESOURCES

For planning, prioritization, time management, and task initiation supports, see Assistive Technology for Executive Function. For everyday activities at home and in the community, see Assistive Technology for Daily Living and ADLs. For technology that supports remaining at home, see Assistive Technology for Aging in Place. For automated and voice controlled home technology, see Environmental Control and Smart Home Accessibility. For lower cost and built in options, see Low Cost Assistive Technology. For the general evaluation framework, see AT Assessment and Selection.

ABOUT THIS PAGE

This page is provided for general educational purposes and is maintained by Accessibility Clinic, Inc. Memory and cognitive support needs vary widely from person to person, and the information here does not constitute an individualized assistive technology evaluation. It does not diagnose any condition and is not medical advice. For an individualized evaluation, see AssistiveTechnologyEvaluations.org.