Brain games for elderly mother

by Joan
(USA)

My mother is 95 and is having trouble with short term memory. Are there any computer games or DVDs that can exercise her brain and keep her interested or focused on the game or learning project?

I am open to suggestions.


She lives with my sister and is becoming a handful because of her forgetfulness. She had hip surgery about 3 years ago after breaking her hip in a fall.

We noticed a decline after that. Do you have any suggestions?

Joan

Doug's Reply: In addition to memory-specific brain games, she should play a variety of games.

That way she won't get bored, and if the problem has more to do with concentration rather than memory other games will strengthen that.

I assume you noticed the free brain games page on my website.

Traditional board games and puzzles can also help preserve memory and other brain skills. On my free games page have her try:

- Chinese Checkers
- Regular Checkers
- Tic Tac Toe (Deluxe)
- Crossword Puzzles
- Word Searches
- Cryptograms
- Hangman
- Kakuro Puzzles (a numbers puzzle)
- Sudoku

Since your mother is 95, I assume she is not that familiar with computers. So you might have to pull each game up on the screen and practice the mouse/keyword commands.

There are more brain games page on the AARP website. Although there are some DVD's that have brain games, I am not aware of any that are any better than playing brain games online. One exception might be PositScience brain training software. I don't know much about it, other than it is expensive (several hundred dollars).

The key to success with brain games is consistency. Your mother needs to set aside at least 15 minutes per day to play one or two games. Twice a day would be even better. Neural connections in the brain deteriorate as we age. The only way to preserve and strengthen these connections is by using them repeatedly and regularly.

Best regards,
Douglas
Memory-Improvement-Tips.com
This is information only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.