Many of us take our cognitive skills for granted. After all, we can all think, speak, read, write, solve problems, learn new things and remember what we need to remember with a certain degree of accuracy. As you get older, however, your cognitive skills may decline. You may have trouble remembering things you want to remember or finding solutions to issues that may seem simple. Fortunately, there is a great way to improve cognitive skills which won't feel like work—computer games.
Although computer games started out as just a form of entertainment, studies show that they can also help anyone, not just seniors to learn new things and sharpen the brain.
How to Improve Cognitive Health with Computer Games
There are many aspects of cognitive health, and, as it turns out, computer or video games can help improve them. Here's what some of the experiments conducted on video games/computer games show:
- Memory: Computer games can help seniors improve their memory. In one experiment, seniors who played Neuroracer grew better at remembering names, dates, times, places, and numbers.
- Cognition: Computer games can help seniors improve their gaming skills, motor skills, reaction time, and overall cognitive ability, as per another experiment in which seniors played World of Warcraft.
- Language: Many computer/video games are related to words and language (Wordle, Scrabble, etc.) These can help seniors with speaking, reading, and writing.
How to Find Good Computer Games for Seniors
Although computer and video games can really benefit seniors in terms of cognitive health, you also need to be careful in terms of choosing the right ones because some games might install malware/spyware on your computer or phone. So you need to make sure that you download them from reputable websites. Plus, every game may not have any benefits in terms of cognitive skills.
- AARP: AARP has a number of online games for seniors. Some are free and some require a membership. They have chess, brain games, puzzles, word games, and card games. This is a great, reputable site to get your daily computer game fix.
- Chess.com: If you love chess, try Chess.com which will allow you to play with the computer or with other online players.
- TheJigsawPuzzles.com: If you like jigsaw puzzles, try TheJigsawPuzzles.com which is also a reputable site with puzzles in various categories as well as a puzzle of the day.
- NYTimes: Try playing Wordle on the New York Times website. It's a very popular word game that can help with language-related skills. Plus, you know that the New York Times isn't going to try to scam you or install malware on your computer or phone.
- Microsoft: Microsoft also has a number of online games—puzzles, trivia, word games, board games, and card games. Plus, this is also a reputable site. So you can't go wrong playing one of the games featured here.
Key Takeaway
If you want to improve your senior's cognitive health, you can start by exploring some of the above options. The Senior Helpers of South Bend provide caregiving services to seniors in Elkhart, Mishawaka, and Bristol, and can also help introduce your senior to these computer games. Many of these games will keep the seniors pleasantly occupied, in addition to enhancing their cognitive skills.
Contact us to learn more about introducing your seniors to games to enhance their cognitive health.