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5 Memory-Boosting Games For Your Elderly Loved One
Lisa Reisman • Aug 28, 2019
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5 Memory-Boosting Games For Your Elderly Loved One
Watching a loved one lose her memory is hard. It's even harder when you have to watch from a distance. Although you wish you lived closer, it's not always possible to drop everything and move closer to the family member you're responsible for taking care of. Luckily, it is possible to slow her memory from fading, and maybe even help to improve it—even if you’re not physically present.
Games are one of the best ways to help your loved one with her memory. Not only will games improve her mental state, but they’re fun, and a great way to spend quality time together. One of the best things about these types of games is that most can be played over the phone. Here are a five memory games that you can play with your elderly loved one:
1. Puzzles
There are a number of traditional puzzles that are widely available and can improve memory and general mind power:
Rubik's Cube — Even if you're not around, encourage your loved one to try to solve it from time to time. Make sure that it’s accessible in places where she likes to relax.
Sudoku puzzles — These are simple to use, and they’re great for maintaining and improving the cognitive function of both old and young alike.
Crossword puzzles — These are especially helpful if they’re challenging. If your loved one is good at crossword puzzles, ask her to see how quickly she can complete the next one, or offer her slightly more difficult puzzles over time.
Brain teasers — These can be a lot of fun. If your loved one can use the internet or email, there are plenty to be found online. Even from a distance, you can find a few good ones yourself and email them to her every couple of days.
2. Name That Tune
You may feel a little silly when you first start playing this one, but after you get used to it, you'll find that it helps in a lot of ways. All you have to do is sing a familiar song and have your loved one guess what song it is. This can help exercise long-term memory, and it's great if you live far away and can't be there often, because it's easy to play over the phone.
3. Item Shift
If your loved one can move around with some ease, ask her take a good look around a familiar room. Next, ask her to step out for a few minutes while you move a few objects around. When she returns, she’ll need to figure out which objects you moved. Although this game can really only be played in person, it's a great exercise for short-term memory, which means that your loved one just might get better at remembering where she put her keys and other items around the house.
4. Bingo!
Bingo is actually great for short-term memory, because it encourages the player to remember where on her board she saw the number that was called out. Although you could play this with just the two of you—even over the phone—it's better to go to an event somewhere if you can. That way, you can make a special event out of the activity. And it's also a lot more fun to play bingo with a larger group.
5. Board Games
Tried-and-true board games are always a good choice. There is such a variety of board games available today, that if there is a specific aspect of your loved one’s memory that you’d like to work on, chances are that there is a board game that can help.
If your loved one seems to be doing very well with the games you’ve played so far, encourage her to stay sharp by gently pushing her to try more difficult games. A good game of chess will keep anyone’s mind sharp. But if everything just seems like too much, try playing a simple but exciting children's game, like Chutes And Ladders.
If your loved one is struggling with her memory, you might be surprised by how much these types of games help. Many of them you can play—or at least encourage—from a distance. If you live far away from your loved one, but you would like her to receive additional support and assistance when you can’t be there, please contact us. We're here to help with many aspects of everyday living that your loved one needs.
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