Brain Games: Memory and Thinking can be Improved 

Brain Games:  whatever you or your aging loved ones enjoy doing, physical exercise, puzzles, cards, games, crafts, keep doing them. The trick to retraining and expanding your intelligence capacity is to try new things that challenge your intellect.

Word or number puzzles, categorizing things around you are great ways to give your brain a work out while waiting in the doctor’s office.

Can you read this? What if some letters were missing or out of order.  Would you naturally fill in the blanks? Will you learn the basics of a new language? it is the newness which opens up new pathways and keeps the synapses crackling.

Taking Control of What We Do

With Dementia and memory loss a threat to us as we age, you either use it or lose it when it comes to cognitive power. Let’s work to strengthen and expand the pathways of our mind. Diet, physical activity and socializing with others are all crucial in maintaining our cognitive abilities. Keep doing what you enjoy and also add new acivities to expand the pathways. Take a new walking route. Try a new hobby or learn a new language. Enjoying the things you already engage in is important. To gain the best results of expanding the passageways in our minds is to try new things which cause us to “think” not just do out of habit or by rote.

Boomers are driving the market for better mental, physical and cognitive health. Memory, judgement, thinking, planning all rely on our mind. There are many books, videos, computer games and webinars on this topic. Adult coloring books have become popular. It boosts creativity. Whatever we can do is a plus. Passive activity such as watching television may be entertaining but it doesn’t do much else. Try watching with another person. Discuss what you’ve watched. Speaking with others and learning new ideas and information is a very good way to broaden your horizons and expand your mind.

Sometimes it  is fate or genetics and even doing everything right doesn’t keep us from needing help either from an accident, illness or disease. Alzheimer, dementia and other neurological diseases are in our system years before detected. Should you need help, get it. When a loved one is already battling a disease, having a companion to do things with is very helpful. It also gives you time off to recharge as it is very difficult to care for an infirmed adult without a break.