Lovely senior life

[For Seniors] Hand and finger play roundup: Finger exercises that lead to brain training

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.
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.

For older adults, moving their hands and fingers is very important because it helps stimulate brain activity.

That’s why many senior care facilities incorporate hand and finger play as a way to help prevent dementia.

Among these activities, brain-training style hand and finger games may seem difficult at first, but they allow participants to talk and think together—saying things like “I did it!” or “How do you do this part?”—so they can enjoy the activity while engaging in communication.

There are exercises that involve different movements with the left and right hands, or moving the fingers while singing.

Please choose and adapt activities according to each older adult’s physical and mental condition.

[For Seniors] Collection of Hand and Finger Games: Finger Exercises That Lead to Brain Training (91–100)

Where are you folks from?

[Senior Recreation] If you want brain-training sing-and-exercise for seniors, this is it! Five ‘Antagata Dokosa’ routines taught by an occupational therapist

Where are you folks from?

Antagata Dokosa is known as one of the handball songs among traditional children’s songs.

There are two theories about its setting: Kumamoto City in Kumamoto Prefecture and Kawagoe City in Saitama Prefecture.

Many older people may remember playing while bouncing a ball when they were young.

In this recreation activity, participants sit and clap their hands while patting their thighs, and also add foot stamping and arm swinging.

Performing various actions simultaneously seems likely to help invigorate both body and mind.

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In conclusion

We’ve introduced a wide range of finger and hand games recommended for older adults. They’re all great for brain training, and some exercises can be confusing at first glance. However, tackling them even while your mind feels a bit tangled is exactly what leads to cognitive benefits. Try enjoying them together, communicating with each other about what you could and couldn’t do.