Lovely senior life

[For Seniors] Boost Oral Function with Tongue Twisters! Recommended Picks to Try

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, maintaining oral functions is very important because it contributes to both physical and mental health.

Even if you’re mindful of it in daily life, those functions tend to weaken over time.

That’s when we recommend trying tongue twisters.

Moving the tongue stimulates saliva production and can improve swallowing function.

It also activates brain function and may help prevent dementia.

Tongue twisters are great not only as recreation in day-service and other senior facilities, but also as oral exercises before meals.

Please use this article as a reference and have fun giving it a try!

[For Older Adults] Improve Oral Function with Tongue Twisters! Recommended Ones to Try (21–30)

You request a yo-yo as a method to prevent becoming frail.

For those who struggle with the pronunciation of “yo,” this tongue twister might be a real hurdle: “A request for a yo-yo as a way to prevent becoming feeble.” Is someone asking for a yo-yo to prevent aging? Looking at the whole tongue twister, “yo” appears six times, and “yobo” appears four times.

Fortunately, there are no small characters (ゃゅょ), so just focus on the voiced sounds and give it a try.

Try saying it with an emphasis on the “bo.” By the way, some say yo-yos are effective for brain training.

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Pata-Kara exercises: tongue twisters

Patakara Exercises: 10 Tongue Twisters — Oral Exercises for Seniors to Prevent Aspiration and Choking

Pata-Kara exercises: tongue twisters

Here’s a method that adds the sounds “pa-ta-ka-ra” to tongue twisters so you can practice while having fun.

Start slowly, and as you get used to it, speed up—this way, people of various abilities can enjoy participating.

This exercise can help with digestion of food, prevent aspiration pneumonia, promote sterilization and disinfection through saliva secretion, and help prevent infections.

In addition, since a decline in oral function is said to increase the risk of developing dementia, it is also effective for dementia prevention.

In settings such as senior care facilities, explaining these benefits before the exercise can encourage more motivated participation.

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In conclusion

Tongue twisters are effective not only for improving oral function, but also as brain training for older adults and as a spark for smile-filled communication.

Start by speaking slowly, carefully pronouncing each character one by one.

By incorporating them into your daily routine as a mouth exercise, you can enjoy yourself while maintaining your health.