Lovely senior life

[For Seniors] Brain Training Recommended for Dementia Prevention

Worked as a certified care worker for 17 years.Nanaka
I’ve been working as a certified care worker for 17 years. I’m Nanaka, a caregiving web writer. I decided to pursue this profession because I wanted a job that would help people. Having worked in day care for many years, I’ve experienced a wide variety of recreational activities. Exercise set to music, in particular, always created a cheerful atmosphere and was very well received. I’d be delighted to continue delivering writing that resonates with readers through caregiving-related articles. Thank you for your support.

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.

[For Seniors] Brain Training That Helps Prevent Dementia! Recommended Exercises (11–20)

Four-character idiom meaning quiz

Four-Character Idioms: Learn with Quizzes Using Meanings as Hints [Brain Training]

Four-character idiom meaning quiz

Four-character idioms are often used in quizzes and the like.

This is a quiz where you guess the answer based on hints about the meanings of four-character idioms.

People often know the word but remember the wrong meaning, so it’s a useful activity for checking your understanding.

Deepening your knowledge is enjoyable at any age, and of course it also helps with brain training.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Shadow Puppet Problem

[Senior Brain Training Silhouette Quiz] Shadow Play Story 21 — Perfect for recreational activities and brain training for seniors, by Fukukuru

Shadow Puppet Problem

This is a “shadow picture quiz” where an illustration is turned into a solid black silhouette, and you guess what it is by looking at it.

This video presents a total of five questions, each with 10 seconds to think.

They’re simple questions, but can you answer them all within 10 seconds? If it’s tricky, feel free to pause the video and take your time.

The illustrations are cute, too.

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Brain training through singing

[Dementia Prevention Music Exercise] Try singing songs as brain training

Brain training through singing

This “Sing and Brain-Train” activity isn’t just about singing; by adding other movements, it trains you to “do multiple things at the same time,” which can help prevent dementia and reduce the risk of falls.

In this video, while singing the song “Furusato,” you clap your hands whenever lyrics include sounds from the ka-row or ga-row.

Doing several tasks at once—recalling and singing the lyrics, paying attention to the targeted sounds, and clapping—helps activate the brain.

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Song guessing quiz

[Whiteboard Rec] Activate your brain with a “Guess the Song” quiz! What song is this? ①

Song guessing quiz

Here is one of the many recreational activities you can do with just a whiteboard.

It’s called a “Guess the Song” quiz: you write the lyrics of a well-known song on the whiteboard bit by bit, and everyone tries to guess the song title.

Once someone figures it out, it could be fun for everyone to sing it together afterward.

Singing provides beneficial stimulation for the body.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Brain Training Jenga

Milk cartons as brain training? [Brain-Training Jenga]

Brain Training Jenga

This is a “brain-training Jenga” you make and play with using milk cartons.

Wrap a milk carton all around with vinyl tape, slice it into rings, and write the Japanese syllabary on them with a permanent marker.

Stack the pieces and use them to form words.

Longer words are harder to stack, so they score higher.

Carefully stack them so they don’t topple over!

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Association Quiz

[Whiteboard Rec] Activate your brain with an evolved association game!

Association Quiz

There are many games you can play with just a whiteboard, and among them, this one is great for developing imagination.

You randomly list adjectives in the left column and nouns on the right, then think of combinations of the two.

It’s well-suited for brain training, and by using parts of your mind you don’t usually use, it may even help prevent cognitive decline.

It’s also a nice activity to try at home.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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[For Seniors] Dementia-Preventing! Recommended Brain Training (21–30)

PET bottle cap puzzle

[Indoor Recreation for Seniors] Using Bottle Caps for 'Picture, Fruit, and Alphabet Puzzles'

PET bottle cap puzzle

Let’s have fun with a puzzle game you can make using plastic bottle caps! Prepare a sheet of paper divided into a 3×3 grid and nine plastic bottle caps, then draw the same letters or shapes on both the paper and the caps.

Once you’re done, place each cap according to the numbers or designs in the squares.

Can you place them all without making a mistake? Mixing in similar-looking designs or letters can also help train cognitive skills.

Since it’s a handmade game rather than a store-bought one, feel free to enjoy it with your own tweaks, like increasing the number of pieces.

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