If you have a family member with dementia that lives in an assisted living facility, you may be able to delay their progression to a higher level of care or to a nursing home by stimulating the brain, especially the parts of the brain associated with memory. Read on to learn five tips for selecting games for someone with dementia.
1. Appeal to the Sense of Touch
Games with a sensory aspect are better for memory care individuals than computerized or other games that basically only use the sense of vision. Try to find games that use the hands as well as the eyes, and the more the use of touch is employed, the better.
2. Make the Games Also Visually Stimulating
If you can combine both the sense of touch and vision in games for people with dementia, this is ideal. Brightly colored, high-contrast pieces work best. A game that many Alzheimer's patients seem to enjoy is dominoes or a domino-type game using colored shapes on tiles instead of just dots.
3. Try Good Ol' Bingo
One game that has actually been studied and proven to help people with memory problems is bingo. It has been shown to improve cognition in memory-impaired individuals when pharmaceutical intervention yielded no statistically significant results. Bingo has many benefits because:
- It is inexpensive and low-tech.
- The rules are simple, and it is easy to learn for people who have never played it before.
- It can be played in groups of people without cognitive disorders.
- Kids, caregivers, and friends can join in too.
- The social aspect of bingo helps fight withdrawal that some people with dementia experience.
For people with more advanced memory issues, bingo games with images on the grid instead of numbers may be better. Their memory and word use may be stimulated by seeing pictures while playing.
4. Ask About Their Favorite Childhood Games
Other favorite childhood games may be good for dementia too. Checkers, "Go Fish," and "Memory," using matching cards, can be appealing to someone whose short-term memory needs help and whose long-term memory associates happy times with these games.
5. Remember There Are No Losers
The emphasis on these games, especially with more advanced dementia individuals, should be on fun and memory stimulation. Instead of winning and losing, focus on creativity and small gains.
While many of these games are easily found in toy stores, there are also shops that now specialize in memory games for all kinds of people, whether it's seniors trying to stay keen or Alzheimer's patients who need gentle memory stimulation. Incorporate memory games into activities with memory care people in your life, and ask their care providers to do so too. You may actually be able to improve their cognitive abilities and stem some progression into worsening memory loss. Click here for more information about memory care.
