Thursday, January 10, 2019

Some Memory Activities For Seniors

By Paul Edwards


A bit of memory loss (amnesia) is a common feature of advancing age. Affected persons tend to struggle with recalling recent events but their long term memory is largely intact. In the modern world where virtually all important information is protected by secret PINs and passwords, this presents a major challenge for many seniors. Fortunately, there are a number of Memory activities for seniors to take part in and improve their ability to recall vital information.

The use of puzzles to deal with recall lapses has been in use for many years. Crossword puzzles are particularly useful and may involve words or numbers. There is a need to start engaging in solving the puzzles as soon as possible before the problem begins setting in. Most puzzles require logic rather than intelligence in solving hence can be done by most people of average intelligence.

Sensory stimulation is a strategy that keeps all the major senses engaged. It entails making a deliberate effort to engage all the five senses with the aim of maintaining neural connections. To keep the sense of hearing engaged, for example, one may listen to some beautiful music on a regular basis. Tasting a delicious meal will an engage the sense of taste. And an attractive seen maintains visual pathways.

Board games are both entertaining and memory stimulating. The most common are draughts (checkers) and chess. To win these games, one must recall the move made by their opponents and anticipate where they are likely to play next. In this regard, they also aid in maintaining cognitive ability. Fortunately, there are many android apps with such games which means that a human opponent is not necessary every time.

Reading is another important habit than seniors should be encouraged to maintain. It is quite useful in maintaining something known as word recall. Content that may be read is quite wide and is largely dependent on the preference of the reader. Reading historical facts is most beneficial as it helps bring back memories at risk of being forgotten.

Learning is said to be a continuous process that occurs even in our twilight years. Learning something new is a way of putting our brains to work; we must remember how to use the new skill so that we can keep using it over and over. Some of the ways in which seniors can make use of this strategy is through the learning of new languages, music, musical instruments or even a new recipe.

A healthy body is a healthy mind. Regularly exercising is beneficial to all cells in the body including the neurons. There is a need to exercise regularly. Exercise helps get rid of stress and improves blood flow to the brain. The result is a general improvement of brain function. Exercises such as brisk walking jogging and cycling are considered effective. Regular exercise should be accompanied by a well balanced diet.

Amnesia is a very common problem among the elderly. The severity shows inter-individual variability with some people displaying more severe symptoms compared to others. In some persons symptoms are exacerbated by the presence of some medical conditions such as Alzheimer disease. Remaining active throughout keeps this problem in check.




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