[For Seniors] Brain Training Recommended for Dementia Prevention
In this article, we introduce brain-training activities that can help prevent dementia in older adults.
As we age, memory is something everyone worries about.
For those concerned, we recommend simple, easy-to-do brain training designed for seniors.
Doing brain training activates the brain and can contribute to overall mental and physical well-being.
There are quiz formats, riddles, four-character idioms, and even brain-training activities you can do while moving your body.
Find the brain training that suits you, and enjoy doing it.
If you’re a caregiving professional looking for brain-training ideas, be sure to check these out.
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- [For Seniors] Fun and Lively! Recommended Quiz Questions
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- [For Seniors] Enjoyable Brain Training! Finger Exercises That Help Prevent Dementia
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- [For Seniors] Recreational activities and games that let you have fun while strengthening your legs
[For Seniors] Brain Training That Helps Prevent Dementia! Recommended Exercises (71–80)
Number search
This time, we’re introducing a game-like activity called “Number Hunt.” From a large set of numbers, you look for the ones that are duplicated.
Once the signal to start is given, find them within the time limit.
It may look easy, but you’ll be surprised at how tricky it can be to spot them.
Before you know it, you’ll be saying, “One more time!” and getting hooked.
Because you have to remember the sequence of numbers and decide whether you’ve seen a number before, it also works as a brain-training recreation with expected cognitive benefits.
Flag-raising game
This is a game where you move red and white flags in your hands up and down according to given instructions.
Your ability to listen carefully and then move—distinguishing between commands like “raise” vs.
“don’t raise” and “lower” vs.
“don’t lower”—is put to the test.
Once you get used to it, it’s recommended to gradually increase the speed of the instructions.
By requiring quicker decisions, you can further stimulate the brain.
To help players focus on listening and moving, it’s also a good idea to make the flags easier to hold—for example, by forming them into rings.
Bomb Game
It’s a game where players take turns answering with words that fit the given theme, while passing a ball that contains a timer to the next person.
It tests both your creativity to quickly come up with words from the theme and your reflexes to swiftly pass the ball.
Although the time limit is announced, the timer is inside the ball and can’t be seen, so you don’t know exactly when it will go off, which adds a sense of tension to the game.
The act of retrieving words from memory while moving your body also helps stimulate the brain.
[For Seniors] Brain Training That Helps Prevent Dementia! Recommended Exercises (81–90)
Spot the difference
Let us introduce a “find the different picture” activity, said to help train spatial awareness and concentration.
From the arranged illustrations, locate the one image that is different.
Because you need the focus to spot the odd one out and the memory to compare candidates with the original, it also serves as a workout for your working memory.
People of any age can enjoy it, and the sense of accomplishment when you find it is exceptional.
You can also time how long it takes and compete, so it’s fun for individuals as well as small groups.
Find the same items
We’d like to introduce a matching game that’s recommended even for people who find arithmetic or reading and writing difficult, as well as for seniors who aren’t comfortable with them.
Look for items in a picture that match the prompt.
Searching for images that are the same as the prompt requires observation and memory skills, which helps stimulate the brain.
You can focus and play on your own, or enjoy it while chatting in a larger group.
With a big group, forming teams of several seniors and doing a team competition could be exciting.
It may also encourage interaction with others.
Number Shape Quiz
It’s a puzzle where numbers are written in a 3×3 grid, and you have to figure out which number goes in the center.
The time limit is one minute.
There’s a hint, but it doesn’t reveal which number it is, so you need to prove which number belongs there.
Focus on the sequences of numbers horizontally and vertically; you’ll need both the creative idea of “what if?” and the logical reasoning to calculate and verify.
If you stay calm, you should be able to reach the answer.
In senior care facilities, writing it on a whiteboard and solving it with a group can make it enjoyable for everyone.
It’s also recommended as a way to help prevent cognitive decline.
Calculation Quiz
We would like to introduce a “calculation quiz” that cultivates logical thinking, memory, and arithmetic skills.
There are four problems in total; the answers to three are known.
The final problem provides a hint, and it’s a quiz where you deduce the answer by working through the calculations leading up to it.
Starting from the answer and working backward, you calculate which numbers fit into the parts marked with symbols such as circles and squares, and you need to remember the numbers used along the way.
Because it requires performing multiple activities simultaneously, it provides stimulating content for the brain.
There is also a time limit, so it’s important to proceed calmly without rushing.