Companion Care: How Brain Games Help Seniors in Burlington, VT and the Surrounding Area

Games that require mental strategy (like chess, bridge or word puzzles) are beneficial for seniors by helping keep their minds sharp. Research has shown that these fun, challenging, and engaging activities lead to positive impacts on mental function as our loved ones grow older. Additionally, playing games and working on puzzles can provide an opportunity for emotional and social growth. When you work with our Angels within our companion care program you can be assure that your loved one is getting to be engaged in these types of activities daily.

Here are four ways brain games can improve cognitive function and overall well-being for seniors:

1. Brain Games May Help Seniors Advance Thinking Skills

As part of the normal aging process, the mind may slow down in minor ways. Signs of decline include:

• Declining memory
• Lacking normal planning skills
• Vocabulary diminishing
• Slower processing time
• Reaction times slower

Similar to how exercise prevents the loss of muscle, games can prevent normal age-related mental decline. As our seniors begin aging and moving from working to retired, they tend to not use their mind in the same way. Over time, playing familiar games and activities may not have the same beneficial and protective effect compared to when learning a new one.

2. Brain Games May Have a Positive Social and Emotional Impact

When you have a senior who struggles with stress and anxiety, games tend to be a great coping mechanism. Being able to finish a word puzzle or strategizing on how to checkmate someone can help relieve daily stresses and anxieties. Most seniors also find these activities enjoyable—many incorporate these types of daily activities into their schedules to help create a calm and predictable routine.

Using games is also a way for your senior to stay socialized with friends and family members. As our loved ones get old, they can become more isolated from those that they love, which can lead to senior loneliness and depression. A good way to combat this is by joining a chess club, participating in card nights with friends, or playing games with a companion care caregiver.

3. Brain Games Can Help Seniors Connect with Loved Ones

Games can also be a linking bridge between seniors and their loved ones. Games can provide the opportunity for them to interact and connect with family member or grandchildren that also enjoy playing games or completing puzzles.

Many of these brain engaging activities can be played online, which provides even more opportunity for connections. Even if you and your family are not able to physically be there to play with your senior, you can still login online to play and socialize together. This is an incredibly beneficial options during the COVID-19 pandemic.

4. Learning a New Skill May Provide Health and Wellness Benefits

Games and cards are not the only engaging and enjoyable thinking your senior can be involved in to help keep their mind sharp. Experts have shown that other activities such as photography or learning a new language is also beneficial in keeping your loved one in a positive mindset while also keeping their mind working. Finding new, challenging-but-enjoyable mental tasks and learning to master them will help keep the mind young.

Being physically active can also prevent age-related cognitive decline. By boosting blood flow to the brain your senior is helping keep their mind in shape. For best results, experts recommend a mix of regular intellectual and physical exercise.

Thought-provoking games like chess or word puzzles are easy to acquire and learn. Although it’s never too late to engage the mind, the best time to start benefitting from brain games is today.