iPod touch serves as "memory" for amnesiacs

For many of us, an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is a great way to stay organized and always know what you're doing. For a group of amnesia patients in Ontario, Canada, an iPod touch or other device literally acts as a memory substitute.

YorkRegion.com spotlighted the story of David Dorey (above), a former radio frequency design engineer who suffered a brain aneurysm in 2004. He's one of many patients who are benefitting from a program pioneered by Baycrest, an Ontario-based company involved in senior care and the study of aging and brain health. The Memory Link program developed by Baycrest equips amnesia patients with the iPod touch and other devices as a surrogate memory to capture, store and retrieve important thoughts.

The patients all have issues making new memories, so teaching them how to use the iPod touch requires structured lessons that stimulate procedural memory -- the place in the brain where repeated actions are stored. Once trained with the iPod touch, patients enter information about what happened during a day so they can recall it later. Some patients actually take photos or videos with their device to remember events they've experienced or people they meet.

What's really great is that the patients don't stand out as being "odd," since so many people with unimpaired memory can be seen walking around checking their iPhone or iPod touch. Memory Link is a heartwarming reminder of the unexpected benefits of handheld technology.