Have you gone out and left the television on? Have you ever forgot to buy the item for which you went shopping for? These are examples of prospective memory failure, which could be an early sign of Alzheimer's disease.

A research team led by the University of Chichester studied prospective memory performance before and after an enhancement technique. The enhancement technique was enactment, where the subjects were encouraged to enact the activity that they had to do. The remarkable findings were then published in the journal Neuropsychology.

Dr Antonina Pereira from the University of Chichester, who led the study said, "We did indeed find that prospective memory erodes as we get older, and our early findings in this little researched area would suggest that enactment techniques are effective in improving prospective memory. We were heartened to see that there was improvement in our group with mild cognitive impairment. Enactment techniques offer the potential for a cost-effective and widely applicable method that can support independent living. This contributes to an individual's health, well-being and social relationships while reducing the burden of care."

To overcome poor prospective memory, she further added an idea, "The next time you would like to remember to pick up a pint of milk from the store on your way home, do not wait until you have got home to realize you have forgotten to do it. Instead, recreate the action you would like to remember, pretending that you are actually doing it, in as much vivid detail as possible. This might feel awkward to begin with, but it has been identified as an optimal technique to enhance prospective memory. It can have very long lasting effects and work even for people with cognitive impairment. Acting is the key."