Memory games. Whether you complete them daily, weekly or once a month, it’s the perfect way to keep the brain active and ‘youthful’ and is clinically proven to reduce the chance of developing Dementia or Alzheimer’s as well as keeping older folk sharper, for up to 10 years longer.
Finding Memory Games
The simplest way to find memory games, is to click on the games link on GrownUps and a huge variety of games can be found with hours of fun and activities that are updated on a daily basis to keep you entertained.
From specific memory games, to crosswords and even a game based solely around popping balloons, they are all there to keep the mind active, to enjoy and have fun with and keep you feeling younger, for longer.
Who to play them with?
Now these tasks and games are based around the idea that you do them by yourself, but who’s to say you can’t enjoy playing them with your grandchildren?
It’s the perfect way to spend time and bond with the added interaction and help that you receive from them, will only continue to improve the brains functions, keep you mentally stimulated and build on that all important relationship.
The younger generation have a unique way of teaching you things that no one else can. At the end of the day, the games are there to be fun and to be enjoyed, even if you don’t feel as though they are helping, they certainly will be having a profound effect on both your brain and body.
When to start and how often should I be playing them?
Starting with memory games from the age of 50 onwards will get your brain into that way of thinking, making it easier to master, than starting at 70 years old.
Games like sodoku and kakuro can take time to figure out. You’ll be using parts of your brain that you may not have used in a while. Essentially, you are reconnecting some dots in brain and firing them up again.
Playing online games
The difference of playing these online games to a physical puzzle is also one that not many people think about.
Mastering sufficient computer skills isn’t something you will gain from opening a box of jigsaw pieces. Different elements of the brain will be used and the more you do it the more confident you will become, which could in turn lead to other fantastic online ventures!
Frequency
As for how often you should be playing these games, an hour a day would be fantastic although time pressures abound for all of us. Play them over a cup of morning tea or breakfast every day for regular brain stimulation.
The more often you can play them the better, your memory will increase and you’ll find it easier to continue where you left off. Having said that, playing them once a week is better than not at all, so try and set some time aside as often as you can, and you will really start to feel the benefits.
Mindset
Growing older and more importantly feeling older is a lot of the time about the mind set you’re in. A person at 80 with the mind of a 60 year old, will live a more active and fulfilled life, than a person at 60 with the mindset of an 80 year old.
I have mentioned it before and here I go again… Age is just a number. Don’t feel you shouldn’t be participating in things because of the age that you are. Use these memory games as an aid to keeping your brain active, not a sole solution.
Keep the personal interaction with family and friends high on your list of important things to do and spending time with grandchildren will always keep you feeling young, and keep you going.
By Katy Powell