First I have to declare an interest in this topic… It’s a rather serious interest that makes me very non-biased about keeping senior’s minds active.
Now, what was it we were talking about?
Oh yes, I was trying to write something about seniors keeping their minds active.
Okay, here’s the truth: I’m a writer but I also qualify as something of a senior these days. Nevertheless I am perfectly able to do whatever it was we talking about. What was it now, I forget.
I’m sort of joking for effect but while I’m actually pretty fit after a lifetime of running and exercise – mentally there is some occasional, shall we say, slippage.
Do you recognise these symptoms? Occasionally I forget names, I walk into a room and can’t remember why, and I lose track of time.
Of course it’s all part of my poor old brain getting old and crusty.
So, I always see those articles about keeping your mind active and say yes! I must! But five minutes later I may have forgotten and fallen asleep watching TV.
Seriously, I’m not quite that bad yet but I can see how senior brain fog can creep up on you. It’s vital to keep exercising your brain like you exercise your body.
Luckily I work at writing articles like this so that helps but
scientists say that engaging in as many mentally stimulating activities as possible can help maintain cognitive function, improve memory, and enhance overall well-being. I like the sound of that.
So let’s get going. I spoke to some psychology experts and got some proper info.
Here are some of the best ways to keep the mind active:
1. Learning
Pursuing a new hobby or interests that involve learning can be really helpful. It could include taking up a musical instrument, learning a new language, or enrolling in a new class or workshop.
Start trying to play the guitar? Or take up painting? They can all help.
2. Reading
Websites, apps, books, newspapers and magazines can provide mental stimulation, improve vocabulary and enhance cognitive abilities. That’s something I really want to concentrate on.
3. Puzzles
Activities like puzzles, crosswords, Sudoku, Wordle and chess can help seniors exercise cognitive skills and memory. Anything from physical puzzle books to a daily app can assist in brain training – and they’re great fun too.
4. Social Interaction
Scientists say that encouraging seniors to engage in social activities and maintain social connections is crucial for mental stimulation.
This can include joining clubs, participating in community events, spending time with family and friends… or simply going down the pub.
5. Technology and Apps
Finally let’s get more up-to-date and look at the numerous apps and digital platforms that can help exercise anyone’s mind – whatever age they are.
Popular ones include Lumosity, Elevate and Peak. These intelligent apps offer brain-training exercises and games specifically designed to improve cognitive abilities.
Here are some of the best ones:
* Lumosity offers a wide range of cognitive training games and activities. It focuses on improving memory, attention, problem-solving skills, and mental flexibility.
The app tracks users’ progress and provides personalized training programs and daily workouts.
* Elevate is an app that aims to enhance critical cognitive skills, including reading, writing, speaking, and maths. It does this with a variety of brain-training games and exercises designed to improve processing speed.
* Peak is an app that offers a collection of brain games and puzzles to challenge cognitive skills. It includes exercises to improve memory, attention, problem-solving, language skills, and mental agility.
Peak offers a personalized training program based on individual goals and provides detailed insights into performance.
* CogniFit is designed to assess and train using brain games and activities that target memory, attention, perception, coordination, and reasoning skills. The app offers assessments to evaluate different cognitive domains.
* Jackpot Party is one of the most highly-rated social casino apps. It can provide mental stimulation and entertainment at the same time.
A social casino can offer an engaging and challenging simulated gambling experience – without involving real money.
If a senior enjoys playing these experiences, a simple slot machine game with a guide can help increase their excitement, mental engagement and stimulation altogether in one package. It has the thrill of a game of chance, the safety of no money changing hands – and is a great opportunity for online social interaction too.
Whatever we do as seniors, it’s always a good idea to balance several different activities to keep challenging the brain. Maybe do some puzzles and some slots – or try reading that book between learning how to play poker.
These are all brilliant ways of keeping your mind buzzing, lively and active. And remember that the more fun it is – the more likely you are to do it.
