[For Seniors] Brain Training Recommended for Dementia Prevention

Training to move the limbs on both the left and right sides

[Brain Training] Dementia Prevention Training That Can Be Done at Day Service Centers (Combination Training)

This is an exercise performed while sitting in a chair, moving your arms and legs firmly as you consider different combinations of left and right.

First, start with a simple movement: open the arm and leg on the same side alternately to the side, and check how each part moves.

From there, gradually add elements such as changing the arm–leg combinations and moving not only sideways but also forward.

When focusing on more complex movements, your range of motion can sometimes become smaller, so it’s important to add movements gradually and let your body get used to them, ensuring you can keep your attention on making clear, deliberate movements.

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kappamaki

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Cognicise with hand-and-foot rock-paper-scissors

Chair Cognicise 30: Senior health exercises, brain training, rock-paper-scissors with hands and feet

Here’s a recommended cognicise (cognitive exercise) for those whose leg activity has been decreasing.

We’ll play “rock–paper–scissors” using both the hands and the feet.

Normally, you make the shapes for rock, scissors, and paper by clenching and opening your fingers.

The same idea applies when using your feet: you move them forward and back or open them to the sides to form the rock–paper–scissors shapes.

Some older adults may have even played foot rock–paper–scissors together with their children or grandchildren.

Moving your legs improves blood flow and can help reduce swelling.

It also strengthens the muscles in your legs and toes, which can help prevent unsteadiness and falls.

Try adding the verbal cues “rock, scissors, paper” as you do the exercise.

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Nakajima Junko

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Finger exercises

[Senior Exercise #22] Seated Rhythm Exercises Part 6 (Finger Exercises)

There are many capillaries running through the hands and fingertips, and using your hands is said to help increase blood flow to the brain.

When cerebral blood flow increases, more stimulation reaches the brain, which can be effective for preventing dementia in older adults.

Here’s a fingertip exercise you can do while seated to a rhythm.

It fully engages the fingertips—such as finger circles, thumb exercises, and bending and stretching the fingers—but there are no difficult movements, so even seniors should be able to do it without strain.

Once you get used to the routine, you can level up by doing it at a faster tempo!

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miyabi

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Text Color Card Game

[Senior Recreation] Rec Craftsman Series Part 132: “Colored Letter Card Game [Brain Training/Card/Game]”

This is a karuta-style card game where players focus on the reading of the characters and the colors on the cards to find the one that matches what is read aloud.

It tests your ability to decide whether the cue refers to the character or the color, and your judgment in locating it among the cards in front of you—so your thinking speed is key.

Clear phrasing by the reader is also important; be mindful to use concise expressions like “the character is red and the color is green.” The more cards with the same character in different colors are mixed in, the harder it becomes to judge the correct answer, so it’s recommended to gradually increase the number of cards as players get used to the game.

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kappamaki

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Cognicise with a calendar

[Brain Training Exercises] Calendar Cognicise: A Slightly Unusual Health Exercise for Seniors

This is a “cognicise” routine tailored to the number of days in each month.

From January to December, some months have 30 days and others 31.

Sit in a chair and march your feet, adjusting the exercise to match the number of days in each month.

For months that do not have 31 days, like January or February, add hand claps; conversely, for months that do have 31 days, like March or May, add hand claps.

July and August both have 31 days in a row, so that’s an easy place to make mistakes.

Try writing the number of days for all 12 months on a whiteboard or on chairs in advance to help.

Once you get used to it, add more movements to increase the level.

Enjoy the exercise while having fun!

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Nakajima Junko

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Finger training with clothespins

Grow your hair with clothespins! Finger training — Today’s brain training, care prevention, and dementia prevention

This activity uses clothespins to build fingertip strength and pinching motions.

You stick a large illustration onto cardboard and then attach clothespins to the illustration as if they were hair.

It’s fun because children can move their fingers while thinking about what kind of hairstyle to create.

When connecting clothespins to each other rather than just attaching them to the illustration, they need to carefully consider where to clip them, which also engages the brain.

While clothespins are commonly operated with the thumb and index finger, intentionally trying different fingers can help train finger strength more evenly.

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kappamaki

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wet mop

What's Inside the Box? 2: Enjoying My Junior's Fright — Assist Shinwa

It’s a collection of soft, thin strands, and it’s wet.

If you were to touch it without seeing it, some of you might imagine it’s something alive.

If it’s a well-used mop, when you touch it and smell it, you might wonder, “What’s that smell?” and feel even more unsure about what it is.

If you happen to move the mop while gingerly touching it, you might let out a scream and run away.

Since it’s a cleaning tool that’s widely used, it’s also recommended because it’s easy to prepare.

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kojifumi

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