Last Updated on October 11, 2023
You may often hear that the brain is a muscle. While this statement is incorrect, the brain behaves like a muscle, and because of this, you should exercise your brain just as if you were exercising your body. Brain games & exercises for seniors are great ways to keep the brain active and occupied. Just like an actual muscle that could fall asleep or become atrophied, the brain can also fall out of practice if you don’t use it enough. There are many free brain games & exercises for seniors, as well as subscriptions and books, that can help train the brain and keep it active.
Benefits of Brain Games & Exercises for Seniors
There are many reasons to keep the brain occupied. For instance, memory exercises for seniors aid in cognition. As we age, we may actually lose interest in or no longer care for activities we once enjoyed. Finding new and fun things to do, such as brain games for seniors, helps to keep us happy. There are also specific reasons to take part in certain activities:
- To keep fingers nimble, try crafting, sewing, or other simple art
- Word puzzles are an excellent type of cognitive activities for seniors
- For both fun and cognition, bingo is a popular choice
- Fine motor skills are strengthened by putting jigsaw puzzles together
- Logic puzzles exercise the mind
- Playing trivia games helps with both cognition and memory
- Video games are great for motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and cognition
It is also a great idea to have brain games & exercises for seniors in a group, such as in adult day care. Many seniors struggle with loneliness and depression, and being involved in a group dynamic helps fight off the blues, as well as improve cognition.
Specific Ideas for Brain Games & Exercises for Seniors
When it comes to offering brain games & exercises to seniors, you may need a few ideas. If you’re a caregiver and are trying to help boost someone’s cognition skills or get them interested in a new task, it might take a few tries before you find the right brain exercises for seniors. Some specific fun brain games for seniors (that don’t require a paid subscription or the Internet) include:
- Retell the Tale: Have a friend read a short work of fiction, and retell the tale in their own words.
- Shopping List Game (this is a game for a group): The first person in the group says, “I went to the supermarket and bought [something that begins with the letter A].” Then, the next person repeats what the first person says, but adds a grocery item that begins with B. The game continues until the items can no longer be repeated.
- Identify Plants: This is a fun game to play outdoors. Take a friend outside (along with some botanical knowledge) and see how many different flowers and plants you can name. This is great when it comes to cognitive exercises for dementia patients, as these patients may be able to recall some of their plant knowledge.
Some suggestions for cognitive games for seniors focus solely on cognition and memory. These types of cognitive brain games & exercises for seniors include:
- Say the months of the year in alphabetical order.
- Using your name, name two objects in the room for every letter. For instance, CATHY could start out with candy or cat, followed by address book and apple, and so on.
- Look around and try to group by colors. Try to find five red things in the room, followed by five blue things, and continue with colors.
Paid, Subscription, and Online Brain Games & Exercises for Seniors
If you do a quick Google search, there are many sites that offer brain games & exercises for seniors and brain games for seniors with dementia. But it’s always best to look for an authoritative site. There are books for sale as well that contain brain games you can do over and over, and AARP provides links to several cognition games. However, many sites offer free brain exercises for seniors, and these are also worth a try. If you have a Wii or PlayStation console, many games help with hand-eye coordination as well. Wii Sports and racing games are always good suggestions when it comes to brain games & exercises for seniors.
For more ideas on brain games & exercises for seniors, or to help increase mobility and make getting around easier, contact Williams Lift Co. today to hear about our line of products. We have been in business for over 71 years, offering mobility products and services, and are dedicated to helping you live your best life.