Living with MS and memory difficulties: what can help?
If you live with multiple sclerosis (MS) and find yourself forgetting everyday tasks, start with the kind of support you need. A reminder can prompt a future action, a written note can preserve information, and a record can show what you have already done. You may need a combination. Choose something you can comfortably use and return to.
We build Poko, which sends reminders through WhatsApp. This guide includes examples you can try, along with options that do not require Poko. It focuses on managing everyday tasks; a reminder service does not assess or treat MS or its cognitive symptoms. Tell your doctor or MS team about changes in your memory or thinking.
How MS can affect remembering
Memory and thinking difficulties are sometimes called cognitive symptoms, brain fog, or cog fog. With MS, they can include forgetting an intended action, difficulty concentrating, or taking longer to recall information. Not everyone with MS experiences these changes, and having them does not mean they will inevitably get worse.
The MS Society explains that memory and thinking can also be affected by factors such as sleep problems and stress. A new difficulty is something to discuss with your care team, rather than assuming MS is the only possible cause.
Match the aid to the thing you forget
The MS Society suggests everyday tools such as diaries, notes, phone reminders, and consistent places for belongings. Start with one recurring difficulty. Here is how those tools might fit different situations.
Something you intend to do
Use a timed prompt that names the action, such as booking transport. Choose a time when you can make the call.
Details you want to remember
Keep a written note of the information, such as appointment instructions. A reminder can point you back to that note.
Where you put something
Choose a consistent, accessible place for an item such as your keys. A timed alert cannot tell you where you left them.
Whether you already did something
Record the action when you complete it. Receiving a reminder alone does not create a record of completion.
Try one reminder in a chat you already use
If WhatsApp is comfortable for you to use, try a small, ordinary task first. The button opens Poko with a two-minute calendar reminder already typed. Review it and press Send; opening the button does not schedule anything. Check the task and time in Poko's confirmation and the timezone in its welcome message.
Keep your phone connected, allow WhatsApp notifications, and leave the Poko chat unmuted if you want an alert. When the message arrives, check your calendar. Notice whether the prompt was easy to read and act on. A paper diary, visible note, or your phone's built-in reminders may suit you better.
Poko's first 7 days are free, with no card required. A paid subscription is needed afterwards to keep reminders running. The examples here send reminders to your own WhatsApp number.
Remind me in 2 minutes to check my calendarOpen in WhatsApp Give appointment preparation its own reminder
An appointment alert may arrive too late to arrange the things you need beforehand. The MS Trust suggests planning prompts for preparation, such as booking transport in advance. Keep the appointment details in your calendar or diary, then choose a separate time for the preparation task.
For example, use the button below to remind yourself to book transport. Replace “tomorrow at 10am” with a time before your actual appointment, allowing enough notice for the booking. Poko will use the time you request; it does not know your appointment date or the transport provider's requirements.
At the appointment, take notes or ask for the plan in writing so you can refer to it later. Keep those notes somewhere you can find them again. The reminder can name the note without including your medical details.
Remind me tomorrow at 10am to book transport for my appointmentOpen in WhatsApp Leave a clear place to return to after a break
If you stop partway through a task, leave a short note saying where you reached. For a delivery form, that might be “Address entered; postcode still needed.” If you want a prompt to return, put that unfinished step in the reminder too.
Change the example's task and time to fit your plans. Keep any real deadline in your calendar. The reminder is a way to find your place again; it does not check the form or decide when you will have the energy to continue.
Remind me tomorrow at 11am to finish the postcode on the delivery formOpen in WhatsApp Adjust the plan when you have less energy
MS fatigue can affect concentration and memory as well as physical activity. The MS Trust recommends planning, prioritising, and pacing activities with breaks. A reminder arriving does not mean you have to push through exhaustion to finish the task.
For flexible household or administrative tasks, use a review to decide what still matters, what can wait, and where you would like help. The Sunday prompt below is one example; choose a day and time that suit you. Keep fixed appointments and other deadlines visible separately.
Poko cannot detect fatigue or adjust your schedule on its own. If your plans change, ask it to move a pending reminder and check the new confirmation. If a one-off reminder has already arrived, send a new request for a later prompt. Discuss fatigue that is affecting your day with your MS team.
Remind me every Sunday at 5pm to review next week's plansOpen in WhatsApp Keep a record when you need to know what happened
For an everyday task such as sending a form, mark it as sent in your list or keep the confirmation. Poko sending a reminder, and you reading it, do not prove the task was done. A recurring reminder continues on its schedule while your trial or subscription is active, until you cancel it.
This distinction matters for medication too. A chat alert cannot confirm that a dose was taken. Ask your pharmacist or MS team about a suitable way to organise and record your medicines. If you are unsure whether you took a dose, get advice from your pharmacist or clinician rather than deciding from the reminder history.
Bring specific examples to your MS team
Tell your doctor or MS team about new or changing memory and thinking difficulties, especially when they affect daily life. Describe what happened and what it made difficult: missing a commitment, losing track of instructions, or struggling to return to a task.
The MS Society describes support from professionals including occupational therapists and psychologists. Your team can help assess the difficulty and discuss strategies or cognitive rehabilitation where appropriate. You do not need to work out the cause yourself before asking for help.
For a planned appointment, you can use the button to prepare your questions. Change the time to suit the appointment. You do not need to wait for this reminder or a routine visit to contact your team about a concern.
Remind me tomorrow at 6pm to write down questions for my appointmentOpen in WhatsApp Keep the reminders that are useful to you
After trying one task, check whether the message helped you find and carry out the next step. If it arrived at an awkward time, change the time. If the wording was unclear, name the action and where to find what you need. If chat alerts add more interruptions, try a different aid.
Send “list” to Poko to see pending reminders. Use “cancel N” with the number from the latest list to remove one you no longer want. Repeats do not stop automatically when you finish a task, and Poko does not contact your care team if a reminder is missed.
Written by the Pokobot team using MS Society and MS Trust guidance checked on 6 September 2026. It has not been medically reviewed. The sources describe general strategies and support; they do not establish that Poko improves MS symptoms.
Questions, answered
- Does everyone with multiple sclerosis have memory problems?
- No. MS can affect memory and thinking, but not everyone experiences cognitive difficulties. Changes do not inevitably get worse. Tell your doctor or MS team about new concerns; sleep, stress, and other factors can also affect how you think and remember.
- Can reminders help with MS brain fog?
- A reminder can prompt a specific action, such as preparing for an appointment. It does not treat brain fog or restore information you have forgotten. Notes, records, and support from your MS team may meet other needs. Poko's effectiveness for MS has not been established by the sources cited here.
- What if I am too fatigued when a reminder arrives?
- For a flexible everyday task, decide whether to move it, simplify it, or ask for help. A message arriving does not mean you need to push through fatigue. Poko cannot assess your energy or rearrange your plans automatically. Keep fixed appointments and deadlines in view.
- Can Poko tell whether I completed a task?
- Poko does not automatically detect whether you did a reminder's task. A delivered message is not a completion record. Keep a separate record when that matters, and cancel repeating prompts you no longer need.
- Do the example buttons set a reminder automatically?
- No. They open WhatsApp with a message ready to edit. Press Send and check Poko's confirmation. The first 7 days are free, with no card required; a paid subscription is needed afterwards to keep reminders running.