Mindbenders: Memory-Boosting Brain Games
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- ID:
- 11839
- First Published:
- 09-May-2008
- Last updated on
- Friday May 16, 2008
- Summary:
- These brain-building games promise to boost mental skills.
Posted by Paula Spencer 4 months ago
Thanks for sharing your experience, mexilee. You're right, and the science seems to bear you out, that you can get similar cognitive benefits without having to use a computer game, by doing the kinds of activities you describe. I think the mind games present another option for those who are inclined (some older users apparently enjoy them even though they never used a computer before). But they're not everybody's cup of tea.
Posted by mexilee 4 months ago
There are many things I would love to comment on; however, for now I just hope my jumping in like I did will encourage other seniors to share their thoughts.
Posted by mexilee 4 months ago
This does not relate to Alzheimer's, but the only place I could find to comment on the article "Mindbenders: Memory boosting Games." Software can be marvelous, but not all elderly people use the computer. I am 72 years old, and I would like to offer some suggestions that I have used successfully. In my 50's a surgery damaged a facial nerve - so I found a safe place (then Toastmistress, Int'l) to practice speaking, without worrying about the drool. At 60, a head injury caused serious aphasia. I began to sing (remember Mel Tillis, the stutterer?), attempted to say words or phrases I heard on the TV, and wrote down every one when I succeeded at it. I always wondered why I couldn't say "Larry King," but I could say "Larry King Live in Washington" if I went really fast. Within 6 months my speech was close enough to normal that nobody noticed any problem. That injury also did severe damage to memory, especially shorty-term. I was attending college at the time, and kept right on, as well as spending a lot of time doing crossword puzzles and taking part in on-line trivia games. I considered only myself as competition. It helped immensely and I had a lot of fun. There are a lot of trivia type board games out there, also. I pick them up mostly at rummage sales and thrift stores. I hope your readers find that this site is as helpful to those being cared for as it is for the caregivers. I thank you for prov iding this service.