Rehabilitation of the mind
Do you find yourself forgetting names of people, losing track of yourself in conversation or having trouble paying attention? You’re not alone; in fact, 1 in 25 people living with a neurological condition experience memory impairment.
Cognition is an umbrella term, used to describe how we use our brain to think. The word comes from the Latin meaning ‘to know’. Cognition refers to the complex, high-level functions of our brain, which includes processing information, attention, memory, planning, problem solving, visual perception and verbal fluency. Right now, you’re using your cognition to read this article!
It is reported that cognitive impairment affects 65 per cent of people with multiple sclerosis, 25 per cent of people with Parkinson’s Disease and 60 per cent of people who have experienced a stroke. Some common deficits observed in those living with neurological conditions include a slower ability to process information, difficulties with memory, attention and learning.
Cognitive Services
Just as our physical bodies benefit from rehabilitation, so can our minds.
The MSWA Occupational Therapy team provides a cognition service to assist Clients to improve their ability to conduct everyday tasks. Part of this service involves a comprehensive assessment and goal setting to help guide intervention measures, with the objective of seeing some meaningful changes in your daily life. This is often achieved through one-on-one sessions with your occupational therapist.
MEMORehab
The newly introduced program by MSWA, MEMORehab, is a six-week cognition program focused on improving our attention and memory to carry out everyday tasks. The program involves a weekly one-hour online session with our Occupational Therapy team.
The evidence-based program has been proven to improve everyday memory in people with neurological disorders, even years after onset. As a result of the program, Clients have reported used more cognitive strategies to support their memory, meet their memory related goals, and demonstrate improved learning ability.
Clients have described the program as enjoyable, relevant and helpful in understanding their condition. Notably, Clients have commended the practicality of the program for providing strategies that can be implemented in their daily life.
Additionally, Clients felt less anxious and more confident, with an increased reliance on their memory enabling them to maintain their independence. Some Clients have even achieved significant goals, such as staying at work.
If you are interested in our cognition service or in the MEMORehab program, you can find out more on Occupational Therapy page.
