For someone who has short term memory loss, do short term memories eventually become long term memories?

Question

My uncle has sustained a terrible brain injury and his short term memory has been taken away. Five minutes after his daughters wedding he didn't remember why he was at the church...etc.

Answer 1

What, where, who, why?

My friend has the same problem and he is better off than most people.
He's never sad.

Answer 2

Short term memories only become long term memories the more we access them. Sadly :( in your uncles case, that is not possible since he can't remember the last 5 minutes and therefore cannot sustain a memory long enough to "store it in long term memory." I wish movies like 50 First Dates were possible, but they are not. They are writers making money on "sweet ideas."

My uncle lost 40 years of his memory this way and never got them back due to a hit and run.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Short-term memory is rarely recovered after a traumatic brain injury. The best way to work toward recovery, though, is to have cognitive therapy with a speech pathologist. These professionals know how to take patients through the steps required, beginning with attention to task, reasoning activities, and methods to compensate for deficits. Local hospitals employ speech pathologists who are familiar with brain injury. Good luck!

Answer 4

No, what he will remember are things from his past many years ago. What he does today will never be considered long term memory