Written by American Standard on March 26, 2020

As we get older, we start to notice changes in our bodies and minds. Along with physical effects like aches and pains, our brains aren’t as sharp as they once were. Although we can’t completely beat the test of time, there are different activities we can do to be proactive and improve our overall health.

Senior brain games are a fun and stimulating way to increase our cognitive functioning on a daily basis. Besides the social perks, there are countless benefits to be had when you join in on the fun. These include:

• A greater sense of independence
• Faster thinking skills
• Better memory
• Better concentration skills
• Improved general knowledge
• Improved hand-eye coordination
• Improvements to motor skills, such as writing and drawing
• Enhanced reaction times

Check out these entertaining senior brain games that you can play anytime, anywhere!

Crossword Puzzles

If you’re wondering how to keep your brain healthy, start by doing crossword puzzles. This is a great kind of senior brain game that has been popular for decades. Whether you find them in your daily newspaper, online, or in a book, crossword puzzles offer the same health benefits. They encourage players to use their memory recall function, as well as association capabilities that they need for matching clues with the word that fits the box. Association skills help to fight the symptoms of dementia.

Another benefit of this senior brain game is that it can be played solo or in teams. Teams encourage social interaction which has been found to also decrease your risk of dementia.

Chess

Keep things classic with a game of chess. This senior brain game is all about strategy, thinking ahead, and being creative. If you’ve never played it before, don’t worry. Geniuses aren’t the only ones that can dominate at this game. Take time to learn the basics and with each game you play, you’ll get better and better. It requires two players which checks off the social benefit. It also helps to boost brain health by sharpening your concentration skills and even increasing your IQ.

Jigsaw Puzzles

For those rainy days inside, grab a fuzzy blanket and set down with a jigsaw puzzle. Research has shown that ‘clicking,’ the act of finding and connecting two correct pieces, releases dopamine which is associated with happiness and an overall improved sense of well-being. This neurotransmitter can help to improve levels of concentration.

In addition, puzzles aid in sharpening your association skills, social skills (because they are often done in groups), and give you a sense of accomplishment when you click in that last puzzle piece.

Scrabble

It’s time to win that triple letter score with this social senior brain game. We’ve all played Scrabble at one time or another and it always presents a great challenge. Not only does this game require you to scratch the depths of your mind to come up with a wide range of words, but it also encourages you to be strategic with your next move if you want to score the most points.

Like the previous senior brain games, Scrabble is played in groups which leads to many social benefits. Some of the most researched benefits of playing Scrabble include lowering blood pressure, improving memory functions, and creating an overall sense of happiness. This fun and relaxing game can also release endorphins, the “happy” neurotransmitters that make you feel good and improve your overall mood.

Card Games

Whether you and your family feel like keeping things lighthearted with a game of Uno or want to challenge yourselves at poker, you’re helping to improve your cognitive functioning with a deck of cards. There’s an endless list of card games to choose from and all of them offer a fun outlet for social interaction, mental stimulation, and maybe even a little prize at the end.

Online Games

In today’s digital era, online games have become extremely popular due to their convenience and on-the-go nature. There are plenty of apps to download onto your Smartphone or iPad, but it’s important to remember that some games are more beneficial than others.

Brain training apps are a specific category of online games that help players increase cognitive functioning in a stress-free, interactive way. One of the best features of these senior brain games is that most allow you to track your progress and improvement. This helps each player feel a sense of accomplishment when they see their hard work has paid off. Here are three brain training apps for you to get started with.

Brain Trainer

If you’re looking for a great source of daily challenges to improve your cognitive functioning, this is the perfect app. Try a new memory, logic, and number game every day. You can also do puzzles and game training on this free app.

Elevate

This award-winning senior brain game helps you train with 35+ games that are designed to boost productivity, learning power, and skills in categories like math, reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

Lumosity

The Lumosity app takes scientifically-validated tasks and turns them into fun games that help you improve your skills in areas like problem solving, memory, attention, and processing speed.

Start Doing Your Brain Sharpening Exercises

No matter how old we are, it’s never too late to start thinking about how to better our cognitive functioning. While there are multiple ways to keep your mind sharp, senior brain games are one of the best options because they can lift your spirits and bring you closer together with family and friends.

Now that you’re starting on the path to a sharper mind, keep the momentum going by finding out how you can alter your lifestyle to boost your brain health.

 

Written by American Standard on September 24, 2018

Similar to how our body loses muscle over time, our brains can suffer from atrophy, too. Your brain’s cognitive reserve (its ability to improvise and find alternate ways of getting a job done) diminishes as you age, which makes it more difficult to perform mental tasks. Researchers suggest that following a brain-healthy lifestyle and performing regular, targeted brain exercises can increase your brain’s cognitive reserve. There are several factors that contribute to boosting brain health.

What is a Brain Healthy Lifestyle?

It’s no secret that your lifestyle greatly impacts all aspects of your health.  Traditional components that contribute to an individual’s overall health and well-being include healthy eating, physical activity, weight management, and stress management. These are all part of the 6 Pillars of Brain Health:

1. Physical Exercise.Exercise improves blood flow and memory, stimulating chemical changes in the brain that enhance learning, mood and thinking. Regular endurance exercise, like running, swimming or biking, can foster new brain cell growth and preserve existing brain cells. By conducting brain scans of older adults, researchers found that the most physically active people maintained their motor skillsbetter than those who were sedentary, even despite signs of brain damage by age-related small vessel disease. Regular exercise has also been linked to a lowered risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
2. Food & Nutrition. The process of oxidationdamages brains cells and occurs when your brain is exposed to harmful stressors due to your lifestyle and environment. (Imagine the browning of a half-eaten apple to give you a visual image of the damage that oxidation can cause on your brain.)  Food rich in antioxidants, like spinach, kale, broccoli, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, can help fend off the harmful effects of oxidation in your brain. Fish is an excellent source of omega-3, a fatty acid your body can’t produce, and is good for your brain. Not a fish lover? Try walnuts, flaxseeds or soybeans.
3. Medical Health.Pre-existing medical conditions like hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, high cholesterol, and smoking all increase the risk of dementia. Reducing the risks is within your control. Start by attending annual check-ups, following your doctor’s advice, and taking medications as prescribed.
4. Sleep & Relaxation. Few things are better for your mood, immune system and brain than a good night’s sleep. Sleep sharpens our brain and provides the energy we need to keep up with our busy lives. Sleep may also reduce buildup of beta-amyloid plaquein the brain, which is associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
5. Mental Fitness. Similar to your muscles, use it or you will lose it. Brain reserve develops in childhood and gets stronger as you learn through adulthood. Brain reserve helps your brain adapt and respond to changes and resist damage. Developing new skills, trying new activities, and participating in ongoing education helps to build and improve brain reserve. These mental exercises can also decrease your likelihood of developing dementia.
6. Social Interaction.Leading an active social life can protect you against memory loss. Studies have shown that those who engage in a socially interactive lifestyle experience the slowest rate of memory decline. Spend time with loved ones and engage in stimulating conversation to boost your brain health.

How To Improve Memory Recall

A desire to improve your memory is a common one. Thankfully, there are many ways to improve concentration and memory recall. If you’re trying to learn something new or increase your ability to recall information, try these tips:

*Chunking: Make it easier to remember several pieces of information by putting it together in chunks. Your brain can retain more information if you put numbers in smaller groups than if you think of each number as a separate piece of information. Think of how we remember and say our phone numbers: instead of 5551234567, we lump them together: 555-123-4567. Research shows that chunking information continues to be a very effective strategy, even during the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

*Mnemonic Devices: Acronyms are the most familiar type of mnemonic strategies and are used because they’re a great way to remember things. For example, when learning notes in piano lessons, some teachers use the mnemonic device “Every Good Boy Does Fine”. The first letter of each word, (E, G, B, D, F) is the note name for the lines of the treble clef.

*Repetition: Seems obvious, right? Being intentional about repeating something helps it become embedded in your short term memory.

*Write It Down: Remember when you were in school and you took notes to retain information? It was for good reason. The act of writing things down can help implant the memories into your brain, as well as serve as a reminder and a reference for you.

Exercises to Improve Memory and Concentration

Just like you exercise your body for physical health, the same notion can be applied to your mental health. Brain exercises are a great way to keep your mind active as you age. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of exercises to improve memory and concentration.

*Switch Hands. Use your non-dominant hand to brush your teeth, eat, and navigate your computer mouse. The challenge of this activity results in increased brain activity.

*Eat with Chopsticks. This trick causes you to be mindful of what you eat, which is good for your brain, digestion and calorie consumption. (Try using your non-dominant hand for added exercise.)

*Turn Off Technology. As a society, we’ve become so reliant on our smartphones that we’ve forgotten that our brains once did these jobs for us! Do math equations in your head or on paper, don’t use autocorrect when spelling, or turn of your GPS and use your innate sense of direction to get to a location you’ve previously been to.

*Go at it Backwards (or Upside Down). Stimulate your brain by looking at things upside down. For example, wear your watch upside down. This forces your brain to think and process the information every time you look at the time.

*Meditate. This is likely the most challenging, and therefore most beneficial, memory and concentration skill. Meditation works so much like physical exercise, it’s been called “push ups for the brain.” The brain benefits of meditation include improved memory, increased focus and attention, and even reversal of brain atrophy.

*Download an App. Download a free app, full of fun games that help improve memory recall. We suggest Peak and Lumosity.

Your brain is the most important muscle in your body and deserves care and attention, too. Play brain games, get plenty of sleep, and exercise regularly to boost your brain health.