The list of 17 Games for seniors , Activities and dynamics to improve memory, attention, language, self-esteem and motor skills of the elderly.
In the late 1990s, the World Health Organization defines active aging as the process of maximizing opportunities for physical, psychological and social well-being throughout life. And he emphasizes that in addition to being physically active, it is important to remain socially and mentally active.
You may also like these Games to train mental agility .
Exercises / Activities for Seniors
As psychologist Ursula Staudinger, president of the German Society of Psychology, explains the aging of the University of Bremen, even in old age the brain continues to form new neurons, which are responsible for transmitting information.
That is why you recommend looking for mental challenges and novel situations as often as possible. From interacting with new people, acquiring new knowledge such as learning a language, or visiting places we have never been before. Novelty and variety help keep you active brain And preserve intellectual capacity.
The exercises we propose have several objectives. Some of them are aimed at the maintenance or improvement of the manual motor, in addition Encourage creativity Y Increase self-esteem .
And on the other hand we propose a series of activities to improve or maintain mental capacity by stimulating functions such as memory, attention or language.
1 - Elaboration of bracelets, necklaces, earrings, etc. With the use of beads
Following an established model or designing one's own can be made different pieces of ornament.
This exercise encourages concentration and attention in an activity, as well as contributing to the creativity and maintenance of manual dexterity.
2- Painting
This activity can be very varied, from painting mandalas or coloring figures, to making paintings on canvas or on different surfaces such as tiles.
This exercise enhances manual agility and again contributes to maintaining attention and concentration. It also encourages self-esteem and self-satisfaction.
3- Work for the manual motor
Different tasks such as macramé, crochet, knit, bobbin lace, etc. All of these activities contribute to improving manual motor skills, visual acuity and the ability to maintain attention.
4- Plasticine for making figures
The use Use of plasticine for the elaboration of figures favors the movement and the articulation of the hands and the fingers. In addition to contributing to self-esteem and reinforce the feeling of self-improvement.
5- Performing puzzles
Again this activity allows us to choose the degree of difficulty that we want to use. Helps to maintain tactile recognition through the pieces and Favors concentration As well as observation.
6- Each sheep with his partner
This game consists of grouping all the elements of the same category that are presented mixed on a table.
The objects to be used can be very varied, from vegetables (In this case you can mix lentils, chickpeas and beans to later separate them into their corresponding category), buttons of different sizes or colors, cards from a deck, etc.
This exercise contributes to maintain the intellectual capacity of the person, as well as the mobility of the fingers and hands. And it also facilitates viso-manual coordination.
7- Chained words
This activity consists in chaining words in such a way that the last syllable of a word is the beginning of the next.
For example: me-sa, sa-le-ro, ro-pa, pa-ti-ne-te, and so on. This activity can be done individually or in a group, in which each person says or writes a word. Helps maintain and build capacities like the memory , Language or logical reasoning.
8- Reading and commentary texts
A comprehensive reading of a story, or chapter of a book, is done. Subsequently a summary of what is read is done or a series of questions are answered.
It promotes memory and verbal communication. further Keep the attention And concentration.
9- Guess what it is
To perform this game you need a group of people. An object is hidden in a bag or under a cloth and the person must describe it by touch.
The rest of the participants have the task of guessing what the object is. It contributes to exercise language, tactile memory and verbal communication.
10- Description of routes
The person has to explain to the listener the route that he / she performs for example to go and buy bread, and all the obstacles, people or peculiarities that are in the way.
It promotes recognition and spatial orientation, as well as promoting Cognitive abilities Such as memory and attention.
11- Who's Who
To perform this game you need a group of people. It is about recognizing who is only by the voice.
One of the members of the group covers their eyes and the rest is placed in a circle. One will say a previously chosen word and the person with blindfolded eyes will have to guess who it is.
If one word fails, the other person will continue to say another word, and so on until they identify it. This exercise enhances the auditory functions by recognizing and identifying sound stimuli.
I see I see
This classic game can also serve to maintain and foster different cognitive abilities. One of the members of the group chooses an object by saying the letter by which it begins.
The other participants are saying possible objects until they identify them. The person who chooses the object can give clues and inform about the place of the room in which it is if the companions do not get to guess it. This exercise stimulates memory, visual concentration as well as verbal communication.
13- To the compass
To carry out this activity you also need a group of people. One of the members performs a sequence of sounds either by striking the table or with an object and the others have to repeat the same sequence and with the same rhythm.
This activity enhances auditory acuity, and attention through the recognition of stimuli. It also helps maintain and improve short-term memory.
14- Forming words
A set of letters are presented and the person has to form as many meaningful words as he can in a given period of time. This activity promotes skills such as memory, language, or observation.
15- Perform hobbies
Crosswords, soups of letters, sudokus, etc. There are several activities with different degrees of difficulty. They contribute to maintaining and improving lexicon, memory and concentration. It also favors logical thinking and visual acuity.
16- What does it smell?
This exercise consists in putting a series of objects and substances in different containers, for example soap, chamomile, a rose, etc. They cover the person's eyes and must find out what object is through the aroma that gives off.
This exercise enhances recognition and identification through olfactory ability. It promotes memory and concentration.
17- Remember and describe images
It presents an image of a landscape or person for a few seconds. The person should retain in that time as many details as possible because later he will have to describe everything he remembers of the image. This activity promotes visual ability, memory and concentration.
18- Memory Exercises
Towns
1) Try to memorize these cities
2) Answer these questions
- What city is the top box in the center?
- What city is the one in the central square on the right?
- What city is the one in the box below on the left?
- ...
People
1) Memorize the following row of people:
2) Answer these questions:
- In what place is the woman in a yellow scarf?
- Where is the tallest man?
- How is the man in position 4?
- How is the man in the last position?
19- Attention exercises
In these drawings you will find the 5 differences
These are just one example of exercises and games that can be done to encourage different cognitive abilities and serve as entertainment for the elderly.
In addition to these activities it is recommended that older people perform different exercises aimed at encouraging and maintaining physical conditions, always depending on the possibilities of each.
There are different activities Which maintain or improve muscle strength, coordination, balance or reflexes. These activities may include exercises to stimulate specific parts of the body such as the neck, arms, hands, or legs.
Or those that are directed to promote a concrete capacity like the balance, for example walking on a line drawn in the ground or to the rhythm of the music. As well as more general exercises like walking, practicing some activity directed like the taichí or swimming.
The Effects of Aging
As we get older and we get older we undergo a series of morphological and physiological modifications that imply a decrease in the capacity for adaptation and response.
Then the process of deterioration of the organs and their associated functions begins. East Aging is normal And natural and we must understand it as part of the vital process that we live.
Events that occur in the aging process
- Loss of visual ability.
- Progressive hearing deficit.
- Loss of muscle elasticity, agility and reflex responsiveness.
- Alteration in sleep rhythms.
- Degeneration of bone structures: onset of deformations, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis.
- Emergence of senile dementias and loss of the ability to associate ideas.
- Progressive loss of muscle strength and vitality. Distension of muscle-supporting tissues by the effect of gravity.
- Increased high blood pressure.
- Loss of immune capacity.
- Progressive loss of the senses of taste and hearing.
- Progressive loss of libido.
There are also a series of psychological changes that are determined by a series of age-specific events, such as retirement, chronic diseases, new roles that have to play or the loss of loved ones.
Adaptation to these changes depends on several factors, such as the influence of one's own experiences, the educational and social context in which the person lives, their relationships with the environment and the attitude with which these events are dealt with.
Psychological changes include affective, cognitive, and personality changes.
Affective changes
- Proliferation of interest in inner thoughts and feelings.
- The feeling of self-esteem can be negatively affected by illness, loss of loved ones and physical, social and economic changes that can suffer the person.
- Maintaining good social relationships and an optimal support network is a factor in protecting against the loss of loved ones that occur during this time. Satisfactory relationships also help a person deal with stressful events and prevent depression.
Cognitive changes
- Normal old age is characterized by a slight Cognitive impairment Which emerges gradually.
- There appears a certain slowing in the understanding of the information that depends on the organs of the senses, and a slowing down in answering the information received.
- It slows down and makes it difficult to learn new tasks.
- As for the attention and concentration skills are kept in simple tasks, but these abilities are affected when it comes to performing more complex tasks.
- From the age of 60 onwards, there are frequent slight memory losses, partly due to the loss of attention and partly due to an inadequate record of events. The type of memory that is most affected is the so-called recent memory. The remote memory is preserved practically intact.
As to the personality , There are different factors of the character of the individual that can be affected, losing or accentuating as the person grows older:
- The introversion.
- Stiffness.
- Mistrust and selfishness.
- Hypochondriacal attitudes.
- The indifference.
For all these reasons it is very important to promote an active, satisfactory and competent old age that goes by with the best possible conditions for the person. Having an active old age reduces the probability of becoming ill and promotes a high physical and functional functioning, high cognitive and affective functioning and a great commitment to life and society.
This type of old age is the most desirable, because it means a maintenance as much as possible of the qualities of the person. According to some studies, to achieve aging depends very well, up to 75% of our habits and the attitude with which these changes are faced.
Bibliographic references
- Baltes, P.B., Ulman, L., Staudinger, U. (2007) Life Span Theory in Developmental Psychology . Wiley online library
- Chodzko-Zajko, W. (2014) Exercise and Physical Activity for Older Adults. Kinesiology review.
- Güvenlik, E. (2016) Active aging offers new lifestyle for seniors. Daily Sabah.
- Harris, D. (2015) Study shows brain training for elderly improves every day life and memory skills. Mirror .
- Indiana University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Florida and University of Washington. (2014). Just a few brain workouts can have long-lasting benefits in seniors, study says. The Washington Post .
- Chai, C. (2013) Brain exercise trumps medication in maintaining seniors' cognitive health: study. Canada
- Ardila, A., Rosselli, M. (2009) Neuropsychological characteristics of normal aging. Developmental Neuropsychology.