[For Seniors] Perfect Brain Training! Fun Trivia

Social worker / Care workermoko
My name is Moko, a mother of three who admired my mother and worked in the care industry as a care worker and as a medical social worker (MSW) in a hospital. I will be drawing on my previous experience to write mainly about caregiving. Thank you in advance.
Care Worker Initial Training Certification ObtainedNakajima Junko
Leveraging my experience working as a care worker at a day service, I am currently active as a writer in the caregiving and welfare fields. Beyond writing, I hope to expand my work into web design and illustration. I am a mother of three who has begun studying to become a certified social worker.

When working at a senior care facility, you may sometimes need to come up with recreation activities or topics for conversations with older adults.

Do you ever struggle with ending up with similar recreation activities all the time or having the same conversations over and over?

So this time, we’ll introduce some fun trivia for older adults that can liven things up.

As people age and accumulate abundant knowledge and experience, they tend to have fewer opportunities to encounter new things and information.

However, incorporating new information such as trivia can evoke surprise and enjoyment, which is said to stimulate the brain.

After a long time, discovering something new and fun can make them want to share it with other seniors or their family members.

Trivia also helps promote communication by encouraging conversations with others.

[For Seniors] Perfect for Brain Training! Exciting Trivia (101–110)

Nails are part of a certain part of the body. Where on the body are they?

You might think a nail is just a nail, but in fact it’s simply a part of another part of the body.

So, what exactly is it? Rather than overthinking it, it might help to go with the first body part that comes to mind.

The straight answer: skin! Nails are formed when the skin hardens and changes, becoming something harder and different from soft skin.

By the way, if you lose your nails, you may have trouble gripping objects properly, protecting your fingertips, and—in the case of toenails—keeping your body stable.

So take good care of them.

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SAKI

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What is the term for an older sister on the father’s side or the mother’s side?

aunt
aunt (father’s older sister)

See the answer

aunt (father’s older sister)

There may not be many people who clearly understand and use the difference between “伯母” and “叔母.” The answer is that 伯母 refers to an older sister of one of your parents, while 叔母 refers to a younger sister of one of your parents. If you memorize just one of them, you can easily recall the other by association!

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utatane

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What kind of weather is suitable for cleaning windows?

Cleaning can be a great way to refresh your mood.

It also serves as light exercise and a way to pass the time.

By the way, did you know there’s a type of weather that’s best for cleaning windows? Surprisingly, it’s cloudy days.

When you clean, you usually wipe the windows with a damp cloth.

If it’s sunny, the water dries before you finish wiping, which makes streaks more likely.

But on cloudy days, the water doesn’t dry as quickly, so you can avoid streaks.

Many people might be surprised, since we tend to think sunny days are the best for cleaning.

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yamamoto

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What kind of sweets did the Jomon people make with pottery?

The Jomon period began roughly 12,000 years ago.

We humans lived far more primitive lives than we do today, with acorns as a staple food.

Did you know there was a kind of confectionery made during the Jomon period? In fact, it’s a sweet that’s still widely known today: cookies.

People back then are said to have kneaded dough made from nuts, eggs, and salt.

Incidentally, although there are various theories, it’s also said they used a similar method to knead hamburger patties.

Makes you wonder what they tasted like, doesn’t it?

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yamamoto

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What beverages are most effective at relaxing the brain?

After doing various quizzes and using your brain a lot, when something unpleasant happens and you get irritated, what kind of drink can help you relax and take a breather? Here are the hints: many people drink it at least once a day, and it’s made from something taken from an animal.

The answer is hot milk! A component in milk called tryptophan is converted into serotonin, a brain hormone, which helps the brain relax.

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SAKI

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[For Seniors] Perfect for Brain Training! Exciting Trivia (111–120)

There’s an easy way to intensify a banana’s sweetness using items you already have at home. What is that method?

Bananas are popular as desserts or for breakfast.

They’re very tasty, but sometimes after buying them you might feel they’re “not very sweet” or “not quite ripe yet.” In such cases, there’s a way to make bananas sweeter.

The method is to soak them in 40–50°C (104–122°F) warm water for a few minutes.

It’s simple, so you can try it today.

The mechanism is a bit complex, but it’s said that warming activates amylase, a component related to sweetness.

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yamamoto

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If you press the vending machine’s left and right buttons at the same time, which product will come out?

On a vending machine, you put in money and press a lit button to buy an item, right? Have you ever wondered what would happen if you pressed the buttons at the same time? Some people might have even tried it, thinking they could get two items for the price of one.

When you press the left and right buttons simultaneously, you won’t get two products—and in fact, which one comes out is predetermined.

The answer is: the left.

If someone says the right-side item came out, it means the buttons weren’t actually pressed at exactly the same time.

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kappamaki