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Playing online memory games can be helpful for seniors in improving memory, learning new information, spatial reasoning skills, and cognitive skills like abstract reasoning.
Senior citizens tend to forget things more often than they’d like. An Individual’s memory is a direct reflection of their overall health, and as you grow old, your ability to remember faces, names, places, and events diminish.
Beneficial Memory Games for Seniors
Memory games for seniors also help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression by engaging the brain in a fun way. If you are a senior citizen or a caregiver of one, here are the top five memory games seniors can play online and improve their mental health along the way.
1 Solitaire
Solitaire has been around for centuries, and it’s one of the most popular card games in the world. The game has several benefits for seniors, from improving their mood to helping them stay mentally sharp. This card game does not require special skills or training and is a great way to pass the time. It can even be played online, which makes it very convenient.
Solitaire requires players to remember where cards are located as they try to arrange them in numerical order or according to suit. This memory exercise strengthens short-term recall skills and improves overall mental agility.
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Solitaire games are perfect for playing with friends or family members who live far away from you because they don’t require much interaction between players (i.e., you don’t have to talk over Skype or video chat).
2 Sudoku
Sudoku is a logic-based, number-placement puzzle. It’s a game that people of all ages can enjoy and benefit from. It is an excellent brain game that is especially beneficial for seniors with dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and other forms of cognitive impairment.
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The objective of this game is to fill a 9×9 grid with digits so that each column, row, and 3×3 section contain the numbers from 1-9 exactly once. It’s very similar to nonogram puzzles (also known as picross).
The sudoku puzzle has a set pattern that must be followed. This forces you to think logically about how the numbers should be placed in each square on the grid, improving your reasoning skills and ability to concentrate for extended periods without getting distracted or losing interest in whatever activity you’re engaged in.
3 Chess
Research studies have shown that playing chess can increase blood flow to the brain and oxygen supply to the brain cells, which helps them work better and improve cognitive functions such as memory power, learning ability, concentration power, etc.
Chess is a game of strategy and skill. It requires players to develop a long-term plan and anticipate their opponent’s moves. It also helps seniors develop social skills and interact with other people. A study published in the Journal of Applied Gerontology showed that chess players have better social integration and support networks than non-chess players.
Playing chess can help prevent Alzheimer’s disease, which makes it an excellent option for seniors who want to reduce their risk of developing dementia. The game also helps improve your ability to think critically, which is another important aspect of keeping your brain healthy as you age. It also keeps the mind active and alert, which can help prevent mental decline in older adults.
Photo by Юлія Вівчарик on Unsplash
4 Scrabble
Scrabble is a game that was created in 1938 by Alfred Mosher Butts and subsequently released in 1948 by James Brunot. The game is played on a board with letter tiles, which players use to spell words and score points. There are also blank tiles that can be used as wild cards.
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Board games, such as scrabble, can be a fun activity to do with the elder and other loved ones. The laughter that results from playing them helps trigger endorphins and promote good feelings. In addition, the laughter enhances the level of compassion, empathy, and trust among all players. Also, it has been shown to lower blood pressure by as much as 10 points in just 20 minutes of playing!
Furthermore, scrabble can help boost intellectual capacity by increasing vocabulary skills and improving verbal reasoning skills. The game is also a great way to improve problem-solving skills because you must consider all possible words that could go in a specific space on the board while scoring the highest points.
It’s a great way to increase your mental flexibility. This can help prevent dementia and other forms of degenerative brain diseases. Scrabble can also boost your emotional intelligence by increasing self-awareness, which allows you to become more mindful of how you feel and empathize—putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.
5 Jigsaw Puzzles
Puzzles are a great way to keep your mind sharp and improve memory. Puzzle games have been shown to increase blood flow to the brain, which can help with memory retention and recall.
The act of assembling a jigsaw puzzle (Amazon) can be very therapeutic, as well. You may feel more relaxed and at ease by putting together the pieces and seeing your picture come to life on the board. Jigsaw puzzles also boost mental flexibility by increasing problem-solving skills and analytical thinking.
Puzzles help improve your mood by giving you something challenging to focus on, which is good for mental health in seniors. It is especially true if you’re playing with someone else—the social aspect of a game like this can also benefit seniors who might feel isolated or lonely without regular human contact.
With All Things: Moderation
Although online memory games can help improve seniors’ cognitive skills, they are only recommended as a part of comprehensive memory improvement programs. Seniors should play these games in moderation and exercise their brains regularly.
The goal of these games should not be to memorize the entire game board but to focus on the ability to manipulate images and engage all areas of the brain mentally.
About the Author
Jack Scott
Jack Scott is is an Outreach Specialist with Solitaire Bliss.
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