How Chess is Used in Elder Care to Benefit Seniors in Plano

Elder Care in Plano and Surrounding Areas

Visiting Angels of Plano strongly believes in and encourages playing chess to improve cognitive, emotional, and social health. There are four significant benefits of playing chess for seniors.

1. Improved Brain Function - The game of chess has many cognitive benefits that can be used in elder care to improve brain function and social skills. It can help enhance and maintain memory, a cognitive ability that can gradually fade in a senior family member. Chess involves memorizing several moves and how each of those moves will affect the game. A 2015 study found that chess players, in comparison to non-chess players, were much better at recalling a list of words that they’d been asked to memorize. Chess players have also been proven to have a more vital ability to learn visual and auditory patterns than non-chess players. 
2. Social Interaction - Chess is a social game in which seniors play against an opponent. Chess is beneficial because some seniors live alone and need to interact with others--whether that be loved ones or caretakers. With modern technology--especially in this current age of COVID-19--seniors can also utilize the internet to play games with their loved ones. In this time of increased loneliness and uncertainty, we are privileged to have the ability to communicate with each other remotely. Remote communication is beneficial to those who live alone or are immunocompromised and need to distance themselves from their loved ones. 
3. Improved Mental, Emotional, and Physical Health - Chess has been proven to have positive effects on emotions as well. Games are beneficial in reducing anxiety and depression in seniors. Refocusing the mind on chess can help take their minds off of other challenges happening in their lives. Not only does the game refocus their minds, but it can also help them relax and enjoy being present in the moment and provide better overall well-being results from seniors being at ease. This state of relaxation helps improve physical health aspects such as blood pressure, sleep, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity
4. Improved Health and Wellness from Learning a New Skill - Thought-provoking games like chess help keep the mind young, and chess increases intelligence and processing speed by provoking players to decide their next move carefully and quickly. At Visiting Angels of Plano, we encourage our seniors to play chess and other brain games to help with memory and decrease the chances of dementia. 

To learn how Visiting Angels of Plano can help with elder care services for your family member, contact us by calling 972-846-8417.