MEMORY REHABILITATION - STRATEGIES, LIMIT S AND INDICATIONS

The rehabilitation of memory must be defined in terms of patient selec tion, therapist support and techniques as accurately as for language t herapy. Three objectives can be offered for organic amnesia: reorganiz ing the memory by using alternative intact routes; working with remain ing intact memory as the implicit focus; modification of surroundings with 'mnemonics protheses' such as a diary, alarms... . The approach m ust be cognitive for the theoretical support of therapists, but also p ragmatic to respect the patient's needs and wishes in the context of f amily and job. Patient selection must be based not only on rigorous ae tiological and neurological grounds but also on an individual and cogn itive understanding of each patient.