Many parts of the brain are involved in the process of memory including frontal, temporal and parietal lobes as well as the hippocampus and amygdala. The severity of memory impairment is dependent on which parts of the brain are damaged and how severe the injury is.

Memory impairment will have an impact on the person’s communication, even if they have no other communication impairments.  Communication skills may superficially appear intact e.g. speech sounds normal and the person may be able to demonstrate understanding of spoken/ written language. However their communication abilities can be significantly affected by their memory problems.

Memory disorders are potentially frightening and confusing, especially if the person cannot recall what has happened to them, where they are, who the people trying to help them are, what is expected of them and what is happening to their family etc. This emotional distress can adversely affect communication.

When thinking about communication abilities, it can be useful to think about three types of memory impairment.

The communication problems experienced can depend on the type of memory impairment, and the severity. These include the person:

  • Forgetting or ‘misremembering’ all or parts of information communicated.
  • Not remembering what they have already told you and therefore frequently repeating the same information.
  • Not recalling answers to questions they have asked, causing them to repeat the question over and over.
  • Losing track of conversation.
  • Losing the ‘thread’ of what they are trying to communicate.
  • Speech becoming tangential i.e. drifting off the subject.
  • Not remembering what they have done recently, future plans, news, current affairs, family information, films seen, trips out, gossip, jokes, etc. This means that the person with memory impairment can have less topics to talk about. They have reduced conversational resources. This can lead to conversation being repetitive, limited in scope, and/or focussing on what the person remembers about their life before the brain injury.
  • Not recognising and not remembering people they have met since sustaining a brain injury.  This may lead to them being unsure of the relationship they have with these people. This may affect how the person reacts to new people in their lives after brain injury – including people who wish to help them. They may not respond positively to these apparent ‘strangers’ who are trying to assist. They may be confused, reserved, hostile, anxious or even frightened, all of which impacts upon communication.
  • Not remembering that they have had a brain injury and getting confused about their environment, current circumstances, why they feel odd/different/can’t walk etc. This can cause distress and fear and affect their ability to communicate with their carers in a constructive and helpful manner. They may withdraw or become hostile etc.
  • Becoming confused which can lead to ‘confabulation’. This is when the person says things that are not true. It is not lying and the person is not trying to deceive people. It is a way that the person may try to make sense of their changed and disorientating situation. They may express confused beliefs e.g. that they need to be somewhere else, are expecting someone, have done something and have particular future plans etc.

For further information about memory please refer to the relevant section of this website.