[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] Popular Brain Training and Recreational Quizzes
- [For Seniors] Fun and Lively! Recommended Quiz Questions
- [For Seniors] Fun Riddles That Stimulate the Brain
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable Brain Training! Finger Exercises That Help Prevent Dementia
- [For Seniors] A Brain-Training, Crowd-Pleasing Word Search Game
- [Brain Training] Lively Word Quiz for Seniors
- [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 (81–90)
A game where you make long words using the Japanese syllabary (gojūon)
Simple yet fun! Here’s a game where you make words using the Japanese syllabary (gojūon).
The rules are easy: Prepare cards with hiragana for all the gojūon and lay them out in order.
Participants create words using the gojūon; they get to keep the cards for the characters used in their word.
Repeat this, and when no more words can be made with the remaining characters, the game ends.
The player with the most cards at the end wins.
It’s perfect brain training because you have to come up with words using limited letters! You can also play in teams and brainstorm words together for extra excitement.
Give it a try!
Rubik’s Cube
This is a classic puzzle where you twist and turn the blocks to align all six faces.
It tests your ability to visualize how each square will move and where it will end up.
Relying on intuition alone makes completing all six faces difficult, so learning specific algorithms is important—starting by solving just one face is recommended.
As you get better at moving the blocks to the positions you intend, you’ll also start to feel yourself getting closer to completing all six faces.
Ojami Wobble Game
Many older adults have probably played otedama (beanbag juggling) before, right? Some may have even skillfully used their hands and fingers to juggle two or three beanbags in the air.
Let’s play a fun game that uses familiar otedama to work the fingertips.
Place a paper plate on top of a short piece of a cut plastic wrap or foil core.
Then, place the beanbags on the paper plate one by one.
Since the paper plate is unstable, it wobbles each time you add a beanbag, creating a thrilling, heart-pounding effect.
It seems like older adults can enjoy a bit of tension while engaging in the game.
By the way, “ojami” is what otedama is called in the Kansai region.
A simple activity using ohajiki (small traditional Japanese game pieces)
Some older adults may have played ohajiki when they were young or with their children.
Here are some simple recreational activities you can do with ohajiki.
Beyond lining them up on a table or floor and flicking one with your finger to hit another, there are many ways to play.
For example, you can play a curling-like game by flicking ohajiki onto a sheet with a circle and point values, or stack the pieces upward.
With a bit of creativity, it seems there are plenty of ways to enjoy ohajiki.
In addition to using your fingertips, these games can help improve concentration and promote communication.
Othello
Move the Othello discs with your hands and keep those fingers active.
Othello has simple rules, so many older adults are probably familiar with it.
Through the game, you’ll pick up the discs with your fingers and move them around.
Just moving your fingertips alone can help stimulate the brain.
But Othello isn’t only about finger movement, is it? You also think things like, “What will happen if I place it there?” or “How can I prevent them from taking the corner?” You take on the game while thinking.
Advancing the game while considering your opponent is said to be good brain training as well.
With seated Othello, many seniors can engage in it and have fun at the same time.
Wobbly Cap Game
As we age, the dexterity of our fingertips declines.
In fact, it’s said that more than half of the brain’s regions are involved in moving the hands and processing sensation.
As a result, with aging, the commands from the brain to the hands and fingers can become sluggish and don’t transmit as smoothly.
Finger exercises can help your hands and fingers move more smoothly.
So let’s train our fingertips with a game that uses an empty plastic bottle.
Cut the bottle so that about the top half from the mouth remains.
Cover the cut edge with vinyl tape to finish.
Place the bottle upright with the capped mouth facing down, and put a bottle cap inside.
A game where you try to drop the cap into a wobbling, swaying bottle seems like something everyone can enjoy together with lots of laughs.
[For Seniors] Brain Training That Helps Prevent Dementia! Recommended Exercises (91–100)
Super Ball Relay
Introducing the Super Ball Relay, a game that can be enjoyed by small groups to large gatherings.
All you need are paper cups and super balls.
Participants sit in a circle or around a table, each holding a paper cup.
Place a super ball in the first person’s cup, then pass the ball to the next person using the cups.
The goal is to pass it all the way to the last person.
Predicting the ball’s movement and tilting the cup accordingly, as well as figuring out how to receive the super ball, provides great stimulation for the brain.
You can also vary the fun by racing for speed or increasing the number of super balls.
