Tips for Playing Board Games with a Senior with Decreased Cognitive Functioning

By Andy Niska | November 9, 2017 |

Playing board games with your aging parent is not just a fun way to spend time together, it can also be a fantastic way to stimulate their mind, boost their mental and emotional health, and support better functioning as they age in place. If your aging parent is dealing with decreased cognitive functioning, playing these games can help them to strengthen their functioning, improve their memory, and sharpen their cognitive processing. In order for them to get these benefits, however, you may need to make adjustments to how your parent plays in order to accommodate their functioning limitations.

Elderly Care in Liberty Lake WA: Playing Board Games

Use these tips for playing board games with a senior with decreased cognitive functioning:

Keep their limitations in mind before choosing a game. This will reduce the number of changes that you will have to make to the gameplay and make your parent feel more confident.
Write out the rules and instructions in a way that your parent will understand and laminate it so that they can keep it with them throughout the game and reference it when they need guidance through the process.
Consider trading the adult version of your game of choice for the “junior” version. This will be a simpler, more straightforward version that will help your parent follow the game more easily.
Don’t be afraid to create “house rules” that simplify the game so that your parent still gets the fun and challenge of playing, but is not overwhelmed.

Starting elderly care for your aging parent can be a fantastic way to encourage a higher quality of life and to ensure that they get all of the care, support, and assistance that they need both when you are able to be with them and when you are not. This elderly home care services provider can step in to fill care gaps that might exist in the efforts that you give them as well as to provide additional support and services that help your parent to remain safe, healthy, happy, and comfortable, while also encouraging as much independence, activity, and fulfillment as possible as they age in place. This can be particularly beneficial if you live at a distance from your parent, or your schedule or personal limitations are such that you cannot be with them as often as you want to, or cannot fulfill all of their needs in the ways that are right for your parent.

If you or an aging loved one are considering elderly care in Liberty Lake, WA, please contact the friendly staff at Love at Home Senior Care, today. Call (509) 204-4088

Sources

https://www.healthfitnessrevolution.com/top-10-health-benefits-board-games/

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Andy Niska

Owner at Love In Home Senior Care

Andy has over 20+ years experience in the medical community and has a true compassion for seniors. With a degree in Health Care Administration, he developed a background in a variety of health care services that only comes from first hand experience. While working as a manager of a large clinic and as an account executive for medical suppliers. Andy has built valuable relationships with the medical community.

His role in Love In Home Senior Care is to educate people on what care choice is the best fit for the senior and their family while attempting to make this decision as stress-free as possible for everyone involved.

This decision making process should be smooth and stress free for everyone, including all family members and their loved ones. Having access to people with experience (like the team at Love In Home Senior Care) to assist you along the way can help this process. With an extensive background in health care, Andy has the experience needed to guide and direct your loved one to the choice that is the best fit.