Tips To Assist People with Cognitive Disabilities to Use Electronic Communication

Ideas to Help People Compose Email When They Have Memory Problems

1. Write down the computer procedures in a simple step by step format and post the cue card near the computer.
2. Provide lots of practice with email steps.
3. Identify any "problem keys" and mark them with a colored sticker (e.g., if the person has difficulty remembering how to delete, mark the backspace key with a red "delete" sticker)
4. Plan an email. Help the person generate a few ideas for an email message and then put the idea prompts on a card where they can see it when they compose their message.
5. If a person is replying to an email, make a hard copy printout available for easy reference.
6. Write the email together. Have the person dictate the message to you.
7. Boot up the computer and get to the email page so all the person must do is "type" their message.
8. Timing can be everything. Suggest writing an email when the person is feeling alert and appears to want to do an activity.
9. Make sure the environment is quiet and conducive to concentrating (i.e., television and radio are off; there are no visitors etc.)
10. Sometimes mailboxes become full of "junk mail". It might be beneficial to go through the in box and clean out unwanted emails.
11. Safety first. If you think your family member is at risk for giving personal information to someone with ill intentions on the Web (e.g., chat rooms where they could be a target for money fraud or a sexual predator), then make sure you supervise their electronic communication.

Ideas To Help People Understand Your Email When They Have Memory Problems

1. Simplify your sentences to reduce the load on memory. Use simple subject-verb-object sentences. (e.g., Instead of "Although it was busy and hectic, we had so much fun running around with you during our visit last week." You could write, "We loved visiting you.")
2. Simplify vocabulary.
3. Write short messages.
4. Do not use pronouns (e.g., "he"; "it"; "she"); always name who or what you are referring to. (e.g., write "Mary went to the coast" instead of "She went to the coast.")
5. Make your message about the here and now; do not put demands on them recalling a past experience.
6. When you are making the message simpler, try not to make it "childlike." A message can still be interesting and relevant if it is said clearly and concisely.
7. Avoid humor or teasing sarcasm. Email can be difficult to interpret without cognitive disability. It is better not to risk misunderstanding and save the joking for when there are additional cues from facial expression and tone of voice.