Amnesia is often used as a cinematic device to advance a movie’s plot. Heroes lose their memories after a bump on the head, only to recover them following a subsequent bump. Yet what makes for popcorn - filled summer blockbusters rarely parallels how amnesia is truly experienced.

Before I began designing aids for people with severe memory problems, I couldn’t begin to imagine what having amnesia would be like. Everyone forgets things from time to time, but how is having amnesia different? Through working with real people suffering from amnesia, I quickly learned the harsh answer. Amnesia deprives individuals of the ability to remember new information, leading to a profound forgetfulness. A person with amnesia will appear perfectly fine and can carry on an interesting conversation with you, but the next time you see them, they won’t remember the conversation - or even who you are. Fortunately, those who suffer from the debilitating effects of amnesia are not alone in their fight against it…