--- title: "Keeping independence with mild cognitive impairment" description: "How to support someone with MCI without taking over: the systems, habits and prompts that keep daily life in their own hands." lang: en-GB json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/#organization", "name": "You Care Reminders", "url": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk", "email": "hello@youcarereminders.co.uk", "areaServed": "GB" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/#website", "name": "You Care Reminders", "url": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk", "publisher": { "@id": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/#organization" }, "inLanguage": "en-GB" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "How many reminders is too many?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "If they stop being noticed, there are too many. Three or four a day is plenty for most people, and two is often enough." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Should they set their own reminders?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Ideally yes, at first. Sharing the account keeps it collaborative rather than something being done to them." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What about smart speakers?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "They work well for people already comfortable with them, but they require the person to be in the room and to respond to a disembodied voice. A call or text is often more reliable." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Does prompting make memory worse?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "There is no good evidence that it does. What clearly does cause harm is the anxiety of repeatedly missing things." } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Mild cognitive impairment", "item": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/mild-cognitive-impairment" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Independence with MCI", "item": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/independence-with-mci" } ] } ] --- [You Care Reminders Caregiver Support ](/) [Home](/)[How it works](/features)[Pricing](/pricing)[FAQ](/faq)[Contact](/contact) [Sign in](/login)[Get started](/signup) 1. [Home](/) 2. [Mild cognitive impairment](/mild-cognitive-impairment) 3. Independence with MCI Independence # Staying independent with MCI The goal at this stage is not to compensate for everything. It is to remove the two or three friction points that are causing all the trouble, and leave the rest well alone. [Begin caring today for free](/signup)[How it works](/features) ## Find the friction, not the diagnosis Write down what genuinely went wrong in the last fortnight. Usually it is a very short list: a missed appointment, a forgotten call, a bill left in a pile. Fix those specifically. Broad support for everything communicates that everything is failing, which is both untrue and corrosive. ## One system, kept boring - A single wall calendar in the kitchen, written by them where possible. - A hook by the door for keys, and nowhere else. - A notebook by the phone for anything said on a call. - Repeat prescriptions and bills on automatic where the provider allows it. - Appointments confirmed by text as well as letter. ## Prompts that leave the decision with them 'Dentist at 2pm today' is a prompt. 'Have you left for the dentist yet?' is management. The first is welcome, the second grates within a week. You Care Reminders sends the first kind: short, on time, in your wording, with one button to say received if you want the reassurance. ## Review it every few months Needs change slowly and in both directions. A prompt that helped in spring may be unnecessary by autumn, and removing it matters as much as adding it. ## The wider picture 1 in 10 to 1 in 6 people with mild cognitive impairment go on to develop dementia within a year, and many stay stable or improve. Source: [Alzheimer's Research UK](https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/dementia-information/types-of-dementia/mild-cognitive-impairment/) ## Being straight with you You Care Reminders is a non-medical wellness tool, not a monitoring service and not an alarm. Delivery is best effort rather than guaranteed, and it must not be used for medication reminders. If you are worried about someone's health, speak to their GP; in an emergency, call 999. ## Questions carers ask ### How many reminders is too many? ### Should they set their own reminders? ### What about smart speakers? ### Does prompting make memory worse? ## Read next - [Mild cognitive impairment](/mild-cognitive-impairment) - [Prompts without taking over](/prompts-without-taking-over) - [Daily prompts for MCI](/mild-cognitive-impairment-daily-prompts) - [Memory aids for dementia](/memory-aids-for-dementia) ## Set the first reminder tonight It takes about five minutes, costs nothing to start, and the person you care for has nothing to install. [Begin caring today for free](/signup)[See plans](/pricing) You Care Reminders Thoughtful reminders that help families stay quietly connected to the people they love. Wellness support, not medical advice. 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