In seniors with Parkinson’s disease, the destruction of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain is commonly associated with a variety of progressive physical symptoms. However, over time, cognitive symptoms also eventually occur. There are many different brain-stimulating games to consider playing with your senior loved one to slow the progression of Parkinson’s.
1. Bingo
The simple game of bingo stimulates multiple areas of the brain. Vision is necessary to look for the number under the appropriate letter. Large cards are available to make seeing the numbers easier for seniors living with visual impairment. Memory is needed to match the letter and number announced to what the card displays. Fine motor skills are exercised to blot the correct numbers. Winning games provides a sense of accomplishment for seniors with Parkinson’s.
A professional caregiver can be a wonderful game-playing partner for a senior with Parkinson’s. If your senior loved one has been diagnosed with a serious condition and needs help with tasks like meal prep, transportation, bathing, and grooming, reach out to Assisting Hands Home Care, a leading provider of home care Fort Lauderdale families can trust. We also offer comprehensive care for seniors with dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.
2. Name that Tune
This popular game stimulates the auditory and memory centers in the brain. When hearing a song, your loved one must search his or her memory to remember the name of the song or the recording artist.
Your loved one may also benefit from spending a pleasant, fun-filled time with friends or family. The symptoms that accompany Parkinson’s often cause seniors to be reluctant to be around other people, which hampers emotional, mental, and physical health.
3. Scrabble
This board game is another means of ensuring seniors with Parkinson’s enjoy social activity. The game stimulates the memory and visual centers of the brain and requires fine motor movements. The language center comes into play, as seniors must be able to recognize the existing words and remember how to spell others. Players must scan the words on the board and determine if they’re able to make new words using the tiles they have.
Many seniors in the early stages of Parkinson’s are able to live on their own, but they may need a bit of help with the everyday tasks of life, such as exercising and preparing nutritious meals. Aging adults who require assistance with the tasks of daily living can benefit from reliable home care service. Families trust Assisting Hands Home Care to provide the high-quality care their elderly loved ones need and deserve. Our caregivers are trained to help seniors prevent serious illnesses and encourage them to make healthier decisions as they age.
4. Word Association
This game features pages with lists of words or images. In each line, seniors must be able to determine which words or images match or are closely related to each other. The game exercises the language, semantic, and reasoning centers of the brain. Older adults must be able to recognize words and remember their meanings to make matches. Fine motor skills get a workout as seniors mark the correct answers.
5. Word Puzzles
Traditional word puzzles are excellent tools for stimulating the language and memory centers of the brain. Word search books are widely available and inexpensive. The game simply requires matching each word on the list with its location on the grid. Fine motor skills are required to circle each found word.
Older adults who haven’t lost their problem-solving and memory abilities might enjoy working on crossword puzzles. Crosswords come in a variety of difficulty levels that can easily be matched with individual abilities.
If you’re the primary family caregiver for a senior loved one living in Fort Lauderdale, live-in care is available around the clock if your loved one’s health has become too difficult to manage without professional expertise. At Assisting Hands Home Care, we take measures to help seniors prevent illness and injury by assisting with exercise and mobility, preparing nutritious meals, helping with bathing and other personal hygiene tasks, and much more. To learn about our high-quality in-home care services, give us a call today.
