Tips for living better with mild cognitive impairment
Setting up cues around the home can help you remember what’s important to you, UCI Health expert says
IN THE NEWS: Leaving the house with everything that you need can bring up a lot of questions for someone living with mild cognitive impairment.
UCI Health neuropsychologist Hayley Kristinsson shared tips with EverydayHealth on how to reduce confusion and improve your ability to stay organized. Kristinsson recommends setting up a memory station by your front door, which is essentially a bin that can hold your bag or purse, keys, outgoing mail and a to-do list for the day. Kristinsson explains that keeping everything that you need to come and go in one reliable place can improve daily routines.
“Too much clutter makes it difficult to focus and find important items.”
She recommends tidying up and leaving catchall baskets and bins in high-traffic areas, such as the front door or by the staircase. Using these organizational cues can make your space easier, faster and safer to navigate as you’re getting ready to leave your home.
Kristinsson is a board-certified UCI Health neuropsychologist who sees patients at the UCI Health Memory Disorders Program. Her clinical interests include memory loss, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, cognitive issues in aging, neuropsychological testing and neurological disorders. She’s also an assistant professor and the director of clinical training for adult neuropsychology in the Department of Neurology at the UC Irvine School of Medicine.
About UCI Health
UCI Health is one of California’s largest academic health systems and the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. Established on July 1, 1976, UCI Health has grown into a 1,461-bed health system that includes UCI Health — Orange, UCI Health — Irvine, four Community Network hospitals and a growing network of ambulatory care centers across Orange and Los Angeles counties. As Orange County’s only academic health systems, UCI Health is home to the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center based in the county, the region’s only American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, American College of Emergency Physicians Gold Level 1 Geriatric Emergency Department and a nationally recognized regional burn center verified by the American Burn Association. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people across Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County through excellence in patient care, research and medical education. Follow UCI Health on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.