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Word Games For Alzheimer’s Patients

Can Brain Training Games Improve Brain Health

Games to Play with a Dementia Patient

Brain training games or computerized cognitive training consisting of programs of games designed specifically to exercise memory, attention, speed, flexibility, and problem-solving have become increasingly popular in recent years.

In 2018, according to the market research firm SharpBrains, people spent $1.9 billion on digital brain health and neurotechnology apps. Makers of these popular brain-training games claim that they can help ward off cognitive decline by keeping your brain sharp.

Scientists remain skeptical about how effective these brain-training games really are in improving brain health.

Few studies can show that getting better at a brain game transfers to everyday activities of daily living, says Kimberly D. Mueller, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of communication sciences and disorders at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

That said, just like playing regular games, it is a vehicle for learning something new or challenging your brain, says Dr. Mueller. Based on what we know about how the brain works, learning new things with repeated practice, or challenging the brain in new ways, can strengthen connections between the neurons, or brain cells, adds Mueller.

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Keep The Brain Buzzing With Word Puzzles

Word puzzles are an enjoyable challenge that can get the brain buzzing and give the mind a work out. Even if not all of the conundrums in a puzzle are solved, simply trying to figure out the answer, working with other people and putting in the effort, is what makes the difference to brain health. Challenge yourself with the example below, or find many more word puzzles online or in word puzzle books available from most stationary and book stores.

Connections game:

The aim of this puzzle is to help stimulate the brain and allow it to make connections.

Heres how to play. In the left column there are a pair of words. Your goal is to find a third word that is connected or associated with both of these two words. Lets take the first pair as an example: PIANO and LOCK. The answer is KEY. The word key is connected with both the word piano and the word lock: there are KEYS on a piano and you use a KEY to lock doors. Now it is your turn, try out the next five:

Games And Activities For Alzheimers Patients

According to the Alzheimer’s Association in the US, Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that shows symptoms such as a reduction in memory and thinking. It affects behavior as well, and is slow in onset, progressively developing over time so that it eventually interferes severely with a patient’s daily functioning.

The family of Alzheimer’s patients find adjustment difficult and need guidance, as well as support. Following is a list of activities and games that caregivers, family, and friends can enjoy together with an Alzheimer’s patient.

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Games For Adults With Dementia

  • Bingo We are starting with Bingo, as we know from the above study that its great for providing the right level of mental stimulation. Its also highly familiar and focuses on cognition without too much stress. Furthermore, you can get larger scaled Bingo cards. The study mentioned that care workers reported increases in patients alertness and the benefits lasted for several hours. Bingo in care homes isnt just about a fun activity, therefore, but something truly beneficial. Another benefit is that you can move away from numbers and use anything from animals to food or body parts if you are trying to work on specific recall.
  • Noughts and Crosses Yes, you can use a piece of paper, but there are many tabletop versions available. These versions are useful if eyesight is failing. They also encourage a small amount of physical manipulation of the pieces. Noughts and Crosses is such a familiar game that this can be a game to be enjoyed even in the later stages of dementia.
  • Snakes and Ladders An old favourite from childhood and so universal that the rules will be familiar, Snakes and Ladders is an ideal board game for dementia patients on many different levels. The bright colours make the board easy to see. Its also great for enjoying with grandchildren. You can also buy preschool editions of the game, which come with larger pieces and dice.
  • Word Game Apps For Seniors

    Printable Word Games For Dementia / Games for Alzheimer and dementia ...

    Older folks can enjoy mobile games just as much as their younger counterparts! In addition to offline word games for everyone, senior citizens can also benefit from brain training apps too. These apps are easy to figure out, and playing them can do wonders for your goal of keeping your mind sharp.

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    Never Too Old To Learn A New Language

    Our brain ages as we do, but it is possible to enhance brain health and reduce the impacts of aging by challenging it. Learning a new language is one of the best ways to do that. As well as language classes in community centres, there are also language classes online, and audio books available to loan from libraries.

    Learning a language is best done with friends, making it a great activity for enhancing sociality in older people. Some may be put off by the challenge of a new language, but it doesnt even matter if the older person isnt able to learn swathes of vocabulary learning just a few words will get the cogs turning and enhance mental health.

    Logic Puzzles To Help With Out

    Logic puzzles are an exciting activity designed to test a persons ability to use information provided to them, and come up with a logical answer. Logic puzzles allow you to think outside the box, create new solutions, and can also help to solidify memories.

    Logic puzzles are ideal for older people since they enable lateral thinking and can help to fire up neural pathways that have likely been dormant since retiring. You can find logic puzzle books online, or in most good book stores, but below is an example to get you started:

    Here is an image of a bus.

    Can you figure out which direction the bus is travelling? Hint: the bus is either traveling left or right. This is not a trick question. If you think you have the right answer or you cant come up with a solution, click here to find out which way this bus is moving!

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    Brain Games For The Elderly That Improve Mental Health And Memory

    Memory games for elderly adults can be not only interesting and entertaining, but can also improve memory, daily life skills, and overall mental health.

    Exercising the mind to keep it active is as important as maintaining physical fitness and strength in older age. Throughout our lives, our brain is responsible for keeping us happy, and, as we get older, mental health is often a major part of being able to live independently.

    To ensure that the brain works as best as it can, the mind needs to be challenged every day. Thankfully, exercising the mind can be fun and easy to do thanks to quick games, tasks and activities that can be enjoyed anywhere and by anyone.

    We have found 22 of the best, tried and tested, brain training games and activities that are especially suited for older people, and are sure to be fun and effective. Try them out and see what you, and your older friends, think!

    Games For Older Adults Living With Dementia

    4 COMMON DEMENTIA CAREGIVER MISTAKES

    Games that stimulate the brain can help to slow the progression of dementia. Here are a few of our favourite brain training games for elderly people with dementia:

    • Amazing Chase: a fun hand-held marble game that helps provide stimulation for individuals at early and later stages of dementia

    • : a board game specially designed to stimulate memories and encourage conversations for those living with dementia

    • Puzzles & Past Times: created by Unforgettable and Puzzler, this 140-page book includes puzzles and activities to stimulate mind, memories and conversations

    • Jumbo Slide-Slot Bingo Cards: these extra-large Bingo cards are dementia-friendly, making them perfect for all the family to enjoy together

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    Ironing Or Washing Clothes

    I know, all the suggested activities include folding towels, but my Mom is still able to do all her laundry so we let her .

    She is super fussy about wrinkles so we set up a little ironing area in her room so she can get rid of wrinkles to her heart’s content!

    Sometimes this is more aspirational than actual , but she likes being able to make her clothes look fancy.

    Tip make sure to get an iron that automatically turns off!

    Offline Word Games For Senior Citizens

    Theres nothing quite like the social connection of sitting around the same physical table, playing games with friends and loved ones. Many seniors may find physical board games and card games easier to play than their digital counterparts too. It also helps that there is usually at least a bit more physical activity involved than playing the digital games.

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    Keep The Hands And Mind Busy With Arts & Crafts

    Arts and crafts are one of the best activities for the elderly to participate in as not only does it encourage the use of the mind, but it keeps the hands busy too. Using their hands helps to maintain dexterity, and being able to explore their creative side helps with the use of the imagination. Your elderly loved one might like this activity simply because they enjoy being creative, or perhaps they want to create a gift for family and friends.

    Consider trying these easy arts and crafts at home

    Word Games Help Seniors Boost Self

    SPRING GROUP ACTIVITY FOR SENIORS

    Word games are an excellent way for seniors to keep their minds active while encouraging them to maintain their language skills. Besides, we all enjoy winning! And solving a puzzle or coming up with an impressive answer is a great mood booster. It can also aid in developing self-esteem and the reduction of boredom and anxiety.

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    Tips To Remember About Games And Activities For Alzheimer’s Patients

    Patients with Alzheimer-related dementia will, as the disease progresses, eventually need help to plan their day. Activities and games need to be structured in such a way to keep the person happy and offer an overall sense of security and stability. This is very important and can help a lot to limit behavior like wandering and agitation.

    These games and activities are also effective to structure time for an Alzheimer’s patient. If they are well-planned, they will help diminish confusion.

    An often overlooked aspect is that the caregiver should enjoy doing these activities with the Alzheimer’s patient. This is likely to create a sense of togetherness and connectedness to another person for both, experiences that are regularly missing from these patients’ lives.

    According to the Alzheimer’s Association, patients with dementia need activities that offer certain benefits. Ideally, the games and activities:

    • Bring joy, meaning, purpose and hope to the person’s life
    • Use the person’s skills and stimulate the brain
    • Preferably involve family and friends
    • Offer an overall sense of normalcy
    • Focus on the process and not the result.
    • Build the person’s self-esteem, and the feeling of being useful, also strengthening a sense of self-worth
    • Offer a sense of accomplishment.

    Activities At Home

    Remember to keep safety and the patient’s ability top of mind when planning these activities.

    Organize Special Days or Performances

    Games for Alzheimer’s Patients

    • Building puzzles

    Should You Play Games By Yourself Or With Another Person Or Does It Matter

    While the research doesnt say whether solo or multiperson games are better for dementia, we do know that different types of games offer different cognitive benefits.

    For example, crossword puzzles are generally played alone and can be great for language and attention. But board games can also enhance these skills, and playing with others provides socialization and communication skills.

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    Level 1 Word Search Grab & Go

    Engaging Activity for Dementia and Alzheimer’s

    Our word search puzzles are specially designed to be appropriate for people with dementia or Alzheimer’s. They are challenging, but simplified in that no words run right to left, diagonally or bottom to top. The words are familiar and the letters are large and easy to read. The included instructions describe ways to help people complete the puzzles on their own if they are having difficulties. Because the puzzles are laminated, they can be wiped clean and re-used.

    This Word Search Grab & Go is designed for people who have already tried our specially designed word search puzzles and want a set of only Level 1 level of difficulty.

    This product is proudly assembled and packaged by the people of The Ark, a community organization dedicated to providing services for persons with special challenges.

    Designed for people with dementia…

    • Cognitive challenge
    • No backwards or diagonal words
    • Includes 6 reusable puzzles, all at Level 1

    Heighten Mental Skills With A Brain Training App

    Persons with Dementia: Skills for Addressing Challenging Behaviors (V16MIR)

    You can download brain training apps straight to a mobile or tablet to enable older people to train their brain whenever and wherever they want. These apps are useful to improve visual-spatial skills, problem solving and concentration.

    There are a lot of apps available, ranging from really simple word-connection games to more complex apps with more than 60 different games and activities. Many of the apps are free and easy to use. A couple of great options include: Fit Brains Trainer and NeuroNation, but a quick search in an app store will show how many apps are available.

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    Games For Those Living With Dementia

    It has been said that keeping the brain stimulated through games can help slow the progression of dementia. There are certain board games targeted at those living with dementia.

    Perhaps you might like to try the following games if your loved one receives a dementia diagnosis:

    • Amazing Chase: this can be used in both early and late stage dementia
    • this game is specifically aimed at understanding how your loved one thinks and to understand what they like and dont like
    • Snakes and Ladders: perfect for mental stimulation
    • Animal Snap: this card set is specially designed around cognitive stimulation therapy for those living with dementia

    The Card Matching Game

    Forgetting what is in the fridge, or the reason why you went upstairs, are annoying moments of forgetfulness that we all suffer from. However, for an older person, these moments can become frequent and frustrating, making it hard to carry out day-to-day activities.

    The card matching game is a great activity to increase memory skills in all ages. It can be played alone or with a group of friends. All that is needed is a pack of cards and a table. The cards are laid face down and then when a player takes their turn, they flip over two cards together. If the cards match, they keep the pair and continue their go, looking for more matches. If they are unsuccessful, the next player has the turn. The winner is the individual with the most correctly matched pairs.

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    Popular Word Games For Seniors To Enjoy

    The benefits of playing word games and games for seniors are pretty significant, even without considering how fun and entertaining they can be. In addition to being amusing and a great pastime, word games are educational and can be used to improve oneself.Most word games need the players full attention. A player must be highly focused, whether actively searching for a word on a game board or searching their minds for a solution to the given letters. Therefore, word games for seniors can serve to practice concentration skills.This article is what you need if you want to check the magic of word games for seniors for yourself.

    Top 6 Word Games For Seniors To Enjoy

    Pin on Dementia
    By Angie Kunnath 9 am on March 19, 2021

    Like every other part of the body, the brain needs to stay active to remain healthy. Word games exercise the mind and encourage seniors to retain their language skills. Games that require seniors to think about language and vocabulary can increase memory retention and stimulate mental activity. These fun word games can be played in big groups or small gatherings, and they have many benefits for seniors.

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    Chess To Boost Planning Skills In Older People

    Chess has been around for centuries, but it is often overlooked as a game that can boost brain health and mental wellbeing. Chess is all about strategy, planning ahead and thinking outside the box – simply put, it is a great activity for those of all ages.

    Some people may avoid chess, thinking that you have to be a genius to play, but that is not the case: amazingly, after just a few months of playing, chess can even help to boost your IQ. You can also play chess online, if alone or in need of brushing up on skills. A final benefit, which is especially helpful for older people who struggle with concentration, is that it can help to increase focus.

    Offer A Way To Connect Socially

    While puzzles are normally a solo activity, they can have a social element as well. You might be able to work on a puzzle with your aging parent or talk to them about the picture.

    Puzzles can even turn into a family night activity.

    However, you need to be sure that the puzzle chosen matches the seniors ability, otherwise theyre likely to be quickly frustrated.

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