Elderly Need Cognitive Exercise

Exercise is healthy for seniors. We hear this message all the time. Stay active. Keep an aging body in shape. Maintain muscle strength.

Yes, physical exercise helps in any number of ways…improving blood circulation, keeping muscles fit, and providing emotional stability. 

But, what about your brain?

Keep Your Brain Active

Research indicates there is reason to believe that giving your brain a workout can also help the elderly improve concentration and block out some distractions.

Aging effects all of us, and all parts of our body. As we age, our brains change. Older adults process sensory information in subtlety different ways. Due to changes in the brain, elderly experience changes in how they perceive environmental information which has been gathered and processed by their eyes and ears. This is called “sensory integration,” or a tendency to combine information from different senses. Older adults are much more likely to experience sensory integration than younger adults. Sensory integration can make it harder to block out distracting sights and sounds. Your normal filters are not blocking out unneeded stimuli. This can result in confusion and a lack of concentration when trying to focus on a task.

Using MRI technology, visualizing blood flow and brain activity, researchers found that a growing number of activities, from crossword puzzles to logic-based number puzzles, reduced susceptibility to distracting stimuli, and resulted in improved concentration. The brain exercise training involved either a structured one-on-one mental work-out program or a group brain exercise program.

Make time to exercise your brain. Try to set aside 15 – 20 minutes every day to complete a crossword puzzle or other brain game. Many times, our homecare staff will sit at the kitchen table and enjoy a crossword puzzle, or a jigsaw puzzle, with elderly clients. Something simple and fun can help seniors improve concentration and block out distractions. And it can provide a shared sense of accomplishment.

JD Miller

About JD Miller

John D. Miller is the founder/owner of Home Care Partners, LLC, a Massachusetts business providing private duty, personalized in-home assistance and companion care services to those needing help in daily activities and household functions. Phone: (781) 378-2164 Email: [email protected] Website: https://homecarepartnersma.com
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