Do “brain games” help the elderly fight against mental illnesses?
Answers
Research has proved that playing mentally stimulating games, such as problem-solving and memory games, can help seniors curb dementia and boost brain health. In these studies, seniors who played games were shown to have better memories. They even had more mass in the brain sections where memories are stored.
In summary, discovering influential cognitive games for seniors may be one of the most suitable methods to slow down or lessen their risk of developing dementia.
It’s worthy of note that seniors who read also demonstrated enhanced cognitive function.
Yet, though reading keeps the brain active, card games and other activities furnish older adults with possibilities to socialize.
This can profoundly affect their mental health; these brain games are often preferable to reading. While word searches may not seem like the most exciting activities, they can benefit aging brains. Since solving a word search is to look at the “clue” of a few letters to find a word, this exercise can help seniors sharpen their reasoning skills.
Because seniors must assess the length of the word and its position, numerous brain parts are activated. However, some seniors have a tough time with word searches. This is especially true for those suffering from dementia. In that case, caregivers can create their word searches with shorter, simpler words. In some cases, this may sharpen brain function over time, at which point a senior could try more challenging word searches.
Brain games and teasers help seniors prevent psychological illnesses and put up a great fight against them by sharpening their cognitive functions. Any task that stimulates one’s brain can challenge mental health issues and help fight against the decline of one’s mental health.
Impaired cognition, despair, depression, and inability to process and retain information and comprehension are some of the most noticeable yet challenging mental illnesses that prove this condition is not just about a failing memory.
This results in a spiral of mental health, as loneliness triggers a chain reaction by making ground for depression, leading to a loss of wellness and often happiness. Seniors with mental illness often fail to perform routine tasks that they once accomplished effortlessly because they have lost procedural memory.
Brain teasers and cognitive-sharpening games help stimulate the brain. If the senior continues playing these brain teasers and taking them seriously, they can slowly overcome their mental illness or at least improve their condition.
Any activity that stimulates the human brain also slows the decline of mental faculties. For the elderly, these activities can be as simple as reading a book or spending time with their peers, little children, or even a pet.
Brain games like chess, jigsaw puzzles, sudoku, or crossword puzzles have the same stimulating effect. They can help combat dementia and increase brain health. If our brains’ neurons get injured and die, neuron networks may lose connection, leading to brain shrinkage. This process—called brain atrophy— is the infamous effect of Alzheimer’s disease, which can lead to dementia.
Sure! The value of brain games for all ages lies in their many advantages. A person’s mind and skills can be developed through brain games. So consequently, they can be used to combat symptoms associated with aging, including dementia and Alzheimer’s, which eventually lead to a better quality of life.
