Password Management for People with Alzheimer’s: Why Too Many Accounts Cause Confusion

When supporting people with Alzheimer’s, one of the biggest digital challenges is password management. Many older clients are being set up with multiple accounts in different stores, leaving them unable to access the very services they need.

The Problem: Too Many Emails, Too Many Accounts

Here’s what often happens:

• A client’s original email (for example, an Optus account) gets shut down.

• The Apple Store sets up a new Gmail account for their iCloud login.

• At the Optus store, staff help create an Outlook email for billing and communications.

• Their Windows computer is still tied to the original Optus email.

The result? The person ends up with three or four different email addresses—all with different passwords—just to manage their phone, computer, and online services.

For someone with Alzheimer’s, this is impossible to keep track of. When a device asks for a password reset, it sends the link to an email account that no longer exists, locking them out completely.

Why This Matters

• Memory barriers: Alzheimer’s affects short-term memory, making it hard to remember passwords, PINs, and recovery codes.

• System design flaws: Apple, Microsoft, and Google all require a secondary email for authentication, but retail staff often create brand-new ones instead of linking to the same address.

• Security overload: Even with fingerprint or face ID, devices still ask for a backup PIN, which many clients forget.

• Constant updates: Companies push upgrades (like Microsoft ending Windows 10 support), which increases pressure on older users to keep up.

This isn’t a digital literacy issue. It’s a configuration issue. The way accounts are set up at the beginning has long-term consequences.

Orchestrating a Better System

Support workers and carers can make life much easier by simplifying and standardising accounts. Think of it like organising a filing cabinet before adding documents.

Practical Steps:

• One Main Email: Use a single Gmail account for all services (Apple ID, Microsoft login, shopping, banking).

• Set Up Recovery Options: In Gmail, add a phone number, a backup email (with client’s consent), and backup codes.

• Avoid Extra Accounts: If a store suggests creating a new email, say no—use the existing Gmail.

• Write It Down: Keep a simple password logbook in a safe place. This often works better than relying on password managers for clients with dementia.

• Test Access Before Leaving: Always check that the client (and their carer) can log in and reset passwords before finishing setup.

Example

Instead of having:

• Optus email for Windows

• Outlook for billing

• Gmail for Apple ID

  …you would set up one Gmail account and link everything to that. If a reset is needed, there’s one place to go, with multiple recovery options.

Key Takeaway

Multiple accounts equal confusion. For clients with Alzheimer’s, every new email address is another barrier. By orchestrating one clear system, using Gmail as the “master account,” carers can reduce stress, prevent lockouts, and give clients more independence in daily digital life.

Important Note

This example is drawn from an actual client case. All staff and companies involved acted responsibly and did the best they could with the information available at the time of service.

The challenges that emerged were not due to poor support, but to the interconnected nature of online accounts and services. Systems from Apple, Microsoft, Google, and telecommunications providers all rely on one another, and changes in one area often have unintended effects in another.

In this case, the steps taken followed recommendations issued after the Optus Hack in 2024 (Queensland Government case study), where customers were advised to update accounts for security reasons. These actions were necessary and appropriate, but they created secondary consequences for a person with Alzheimer’s, including account lockouts and confusion over multiple email addresses.

Data breaches will always occur over time. The key is not to blame those who acted correctly, but to recognise the wider impacts and plan account management more carefully in the future.