Which games are best for older adults’ health?
Playing games can affect brain performance amazingly in both kids and older adults. Body health and functions such as brain performance or physical activity can face some challenges and troubles by the aging process. Getting involved with activities requiring physical and mental energy boosts the arrangement in both parts and improves mental and physical health. Playing individual or team games is one of the best options to offer. In addition to mental health improvement, playing fun games, especially team games, allows older adults to move their bodies and be more active physically during the day. But does it mean that seniors are allowed to do any games? Of course not! You have to consider that older adults, especially the residents of sanitariums, are so vulnerable. So it’s essential to choose safe and simple games that are funny at the same time! Here are some recommended games to do.
1. Frisbee Golf
As you may guess, it’s a combination of two golf and Frisbee games that is one of the best choices to play in a retirement house or with your friends. Frisbee golf is an entertaining, fun game involving your arm muscles, wrist, and hands. The only necessary equipment is some golf flags and discs. Locate the golf flags at the corner of the area and then toss by turn. You have to try to put the discs around the flags.
2. Dice Rolling
Seniors are perfectly familiar with this game as they might play it when they were young. So let’s do it again and have some fun. Why not? But this time, you need to add some physical exercise to it. Try to toss two dice the way your arms move correctly. That’s how you can activate your arms just a little bit more! Pick two dice and ask your friend to join. Toss the dices turn by turn and try to beat your competitor by reaching higher numbers.
3. Bowling Ring Toss
First of all, make two or more teams with your friends or other residents if you live in a retirement house. Then locate the bowling pins at an appropriate distance. Every participant should pick up a ring and throw it toward pins to encircle them. Any time a participant could make a ring to cover the nails, the whole team scores.
4. Hook & Loop Toss
Hook and loop toss is a safe version of the dart game. The target is the same, but in different material, and instead of sharp and pointy-ended darts, there are sticky little balls called tar grip toss. As you throw these balls toward the target, they stick to the different parts of the target and define your score. It’s a challenging and recreational game entertaining for hours and training hands and arms muscles as well.
5. Toss It Net
At least two participants are needed to play. Provide a large net, put some light-weighted objects on it, and then hold the net together and raise it. Now, try to throw the things high in the air and catch them by the net and challenge yourself how high you can toss in the air and grab them again. It may seem so childish and easy, but trust me, it’s not!
6. Fly Swat Tennis
If you used to enjoy tennis back in years when you were younger, you always wanted to try tennis, here’s fly swat tennis! Use plastic tennis rackets or even fly swatters because the real ones are so heavy and not easily handled for older adults. You can use balloons and pass them back and force instead of a tennis ball. If you have a stability problem, you can sit on a chair and continue playing.
Stop viewing senior citizens as older people. Maybe we’ve reached a point in our lives when we have a few more miles on us, but we also have the time to learn new hobbies and do things we’ve always wanted to do — and now we can. Travelling, going out to dinner with friends, hiking and other outdoor activities, playing cards or board games, working out, reading, painting, music, and so on. Due to my physical slowdown, I’ve modified some of my activities. I walk early in the morning or at a mall in hot weather because temperatures beyond 80 degrees are brutal for me. Since my night vision is poor, I rarely go out at night unless I have transportation, so I usually go out for lunch rather than dinner. I go to gym classes for people over sixty because I have difficulty getting up from the floor, so I needed an exercise class where I could sit or grab onto something for balance. I’m trying to tell you that my friends and I enjoy the same things we always have, but we have to modify them due to our physical changes.
Brain health is essential to a high quality of life. Staying mentally active is as critical as being physically active. Seniors are encouraged to pick games that arouse their interest and avoid ones that fail to excite them.
• Mahjong
Seniors increase brain health and relieve loneliness by playing online games, like Mahjong. It’s a straightforward tile-matching game.
• Chess
Another thrilling game renowned all over the world is chess. Seniors stay social by finding experienced chess masters or beginners to compete.
• Scrabble
Older players work their brains when they piece together letters and form words. They can play with competitors from all over the world. Tracking scores push seniors to perform mental math.
• Jigsaw Puzzles
Jigsaw puzzles stimulate the brain and let seniors pass the time while having fun. You can play it online too.
• Solitaire
Some consider solitaire to be the most popular card game ever. Seniors playing Solitaire train their brains to identify patterns. As a result, older players’ memories get an exercise.
Pictionary, Memory games, and Trivia Games are the best. I used to play with my grandpa every weekend after my grandma passed away. They helped him be happier and more focused on his daily things in his last years. But before my grandma’s departure, they both were active in art and craft. They went for different activities, like designing bottles, photo collages, or even knitting. I don’t remember when they started doing these things, but every time I appeared in the middle of their crafting, they had a big smile on their face.