Maintaining brain activity becomes just as vital as exercising and conditioning the body as we become older. The soundness of mind has been increasingly important in retaining independence over time. Just as your body needs exercise to be strong and nimble, your brain requires stimulation.
To maintain the sharpness of the mind, we must give it multiple tasks, even difficult ones. But, don’t worry, nobody is suggesting you solve mathematical problems in your brain: unless you love math. There are numerous techniques to make these exercises exciting, beneficial, and helpful. Solutions can be memory or brain games for seniors!
Can senior brain games assist in delaying the devastating symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease? While the evidence on this is still inconclusive, an increasing number of scientists and clinicians are advocating for using mental games for seniors as a way to increase engagement with dementia, Alzheimer’s, and also other cognitive performance issues.
Physical activity keeps you fit and healthy. Can seniors use brain games to help themselves fight illnesses and ailments that affect the brain? This is the main question for which scientists are putting in the hard work.
In this blog, we will see top memory games for people living with dementia and how these games benefit them. Keep in mind, it’s important to find that ‘just right challenge’ for someone living with dementia. The way I make sure an activity is the ‘just right challenge’ is to make sure the activity doesn’t frustrate them, but does allow them to use parts of their brain that are still working. I always focus on the person’s strengths in order to maximize their quality of life.
Senior brain games are available in a range of formats, spanning from classic board games to advanced digital games played via smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Seniors may also transform mundane tasks into brain games by pushing themselves to recall grocery lists and things in space or on a table. Games may also be customized to different levels of difficulty and the rules can be changed.
Seniors might be asked to spell replies and add scores in their heads to make games more challenging. Seniors can form teams, time limitations can be increased, and for some games, different alternatives can be presented to minimize difficulty.
1. Board and Card Games
Those living with dementia will benefit from simple card, or board games. The broad guidelines are familiar to most older folks, and they may just require a brief review and adapting the activity to make it easier, depending on the stage of dementia. Try showing or explaining to them how to play “War” if you want to simplify things. Here is a deck of larger playing cards that make it easier to see for those who experience visual impairments.
Board games, such as ‘Chutes and Ladders’, (there is a similar dementia friendly version to this called Snakes & Ladders & Ludo) are also beneficial to individuals living with dementia. You might also play card or board games with your children or grandkids to bring everyone together. Consequently, the social and cerebral connections that these games encourage can help to increase brain activity. Here is a link.
‘Chess and checkers‘ require players to problem solve future moves of their pieces and evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of each move.
‘Quirkle‘ is a more recent board game that requires players to use their brains to match shapes and colors while also employing arithmetic and strategy to obtain the highest points. Quirkle, which earned the Mensa Select Award, is easy enough for kids to pick up yet tricky enough for people of all ages to enjoy.
2. Bingo
Bingo is a game that is common to seniors, much like card games. When played in a group, this exercise can increase social connections by triggering long-term memory for focused attention. Use bingo cards with reduced numbers or ones that are arranged numerically. Individuals with failing eyesight or dexterity impairments may also benefit from large font cards or cards with movable markers.
Bingo is an engaging activity that also can assist seniors in forgetting their troubles and functioning as a stress reliever. Seniors can now play virtual Bingo with their buddies.
3. Memory Games
‘Simon‘, an electronic game, teaches seniors to recognize color and sound patterns. Similarly, Bop-It is an electronic game that requires seniors to utilize their memory to follow instructions to bop, twist, and tug an item. While Bop-It is an excellent technique to improve fine motor skills, focus, and information processing speed, it may not be appropriate for seniors having arthritis.
4. Trivia & Conversation Cards
Trivia is a simple brain game that requires little setup. Try easy item trivia for persons with dementia. For example, after informing them about a sharp tool used in the kitchen to chop vegetables, lead them to answer “knife.” Consider easy topics from their younger years as an alternative. “Who sings the song “It’s Now or Never?” can elicit recollections from your loved one and result in a dialogue about their experiences with that song.
Playing trivia games & using conversation card can also help them recall old facts and participate in a conversation that sparks nostalgia. Relish makes conversation cards, which allows the person with dementia to reminisce and engage in a social activity with others. These conversation cards would serve as a fun option for those in beginning and middle stages.
5. Word Games
Word recall is commonly a problem for those with cognitive issues. Word games involve activities such as finding hidden words, filling in blanks, constructing words, and identifying words using descriptions or definitions. Though certain games, such as word puzzles and crosswords, are more passive, others are more interactive.
Seniors may predict characters to fill in the blank word in Hangman with just a pad, pencil, and a partner.
Upwords is a letter-tile game similar to Scrabble in which players stack tiles atop existing words to create words not just across but also up; the game further promotes the use of multiplication and addition to earn the high-towering words.
Set a target for your loved one depending on their cognitive abilities, such as solving one puzzle every day or week. These games may be more appropriate for those in the beginning stages of dementia.
6. Video and Online Games
Everything from the platform and 3-D construction console games to games online from senior and wellness organizations particularly meant to increase brain capacity may be found in online and video games.
Playing online games like Super Mario and Tetris enhances hand-eye coordination and stimulates the hippocampus, the area of the brain connected with spatial and temporal memory, according to findings from a series of studies. Physical fitness is also promoted via engaging Wii and X-Box Kinect games. When I worked at a facility and when the Wii was really popular, we would all enjoy this as part of a therapy treatment session. Resident’s enjoyed playing the bowling game or golf game on their (best for MCI or early stage dementia).
Video games are among the most recent dementia memory games on the list. They’ve grown more popular with seniors, despite being previously neglected for mental enhancement. Playing games can help people living with dementia use skills like memory & attention. Try a simpler puzzle game like Tetris.
Benefits Of Memory Games for Those Living With Dementia
Memory-related games have proved beneficial for both general brain health and people with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Moreover, cognitive games may be entertaining and provide good social interaction.
1. Keeps Their Brains Sharp
When you’re young, do you remember how your brain instantly throws data at you when you need them and thinks at rapid speed? As we age, we experience a decline in areas including but not limited to reaction time, processing speed, attention. While it is incorrect to say that brain fitness heals or prevents such problems, it can help to slow the rate of cognitive decline.
2. Reduces Stress
Stress has many forms; therefore, it is the type of stress that varies, not quite the stress itself.
What may be causing seniors to feel stressed? To begin with, some seniors face health issues, some face financial challenges, and still others may find it difficult to find meaning in their altering lifestyles. Stress should be relieved regardless of what causes it.
Relaxing, getting away from daily worries, and working on a crossword puzzle can all help relieve stress. You can detach your mind from external influences and quietly enjoy the process of completing a fun puzzle. We want to make sure these puzzles are the just right challenge for the person living with dementia.
3. Enhances Visual-Spatial Awareness
Visual-spatial awareness is required to be in tune with the environment around us. That is understanding and the ability to see the area around us from the perspective of the brain, as well as how we interact with it. Playing word games can help to strengthen these skills.
4. Builds Social Connections
Positive social connections are important for our mental health, and puzzles may be a great way for older people to interact with others.
Friendships can be strengthened by playing games. Chess and Monopoly are two strategic board games that must be played with others. You’ll utilize logic and imagination to get an advantage over your opponents while also enjoying a rewarding social connection.
Connecting with others is now a piece of cake. You may communicate with folks from all around the globe thanks to online video games. If the person living with dementia is in the earlier stages, they might enjoy playing simple video games with grandkids or good friends. You may increase your dexterity and response time by using a controller.
5. Strengthens Problem-Solving Skills
There are few opportunities for older people to improve their problem-solving skills. It is critical to cognitively challenge yourself as you become older since this improves your capacity to deal with conflicts in everyday life.
You don’t have to practice difficult problems or academic-level vocabulary. Even the simplest crossword puzzles will keep the brain active since solving this problem requires thought.
Jigsaw puzzles are an excellent way to develop and retain problem-solving abilities.
6. Improves Concentration
When you used to go to work or college, you had a fixed schedule, and you focused on finishing all the day’s tasks. But now, when you’re retired, you may find that it becomes more difficult to focus on a particular activity.
This is where games and riddles can help. They need the player to focus on challenging tasks, permitting them to go to the unexplored regions of the brain that they would not normally access. Word searches are a perfect example of an activity that may help in focus. I have found that when we present games and activities that are important to the person living with dementia, they will attend more to the task.
Closing Thoughts
There is clearly a link between playing these games for seniors living with dementia and slowing the rate of cognitive decline. The overall objective is to push the brain to acquire new abilities without putting too much pressure on it.
Furthermore, playing games can assist people living with dementia in improving their cognitive function. Memory games and quizzes keep players’ cognitive abilities strong while also keeping them in a good mood. Encourage your loved one living with dementia to play these games or invite them to a friendly contest to keep their minds active!
