Living in an assisted living community definitely has its emotional and physical perks for loved ones who utilize a community’s services. However, there are always reasons to keep up with brain stimulation, especially as loved ones begin to grow older. It is important to stimulate the brain in order to maintain cognitive function, preserve memory, and keep up the overall happiness of your loved one in assisted living.

Here are 5 simple brain stimulating activity ideas that you can use while your loved one is enjoying being cared for in an assisted living community.

Computerized Games

While this doesn’t necessarily mean video games, those can also be a mentally stimulating activity. These days, most seniors have iPads or smart phones that they use to entertain themselves via app games or other similar activities. Popular games include Words With Friends, Candy Crush, and good old fashioned Solitaire.

Pen and Paper Puzzles

Not all senior citizens are comfortable with using electronics to stimulate their mental health and entertain themselves. Little known to many younger tablet users, there was always pen and paper puzzles that people used to stay mentally active. Before your next visit, feel free to visit a local bookstore and pick up books with:

• Crossword Puzzles,
• Sudoku,
• Word Search, or
• Standard Puzzles.

Cooking

When visiting with your family member, you have plenty of opportunities to stimulate his or her mental health through storytelling, organizing their apartment, and above all, cooking. On your next visit, take up some old family cookbooks as a way to boost your loved one’s memory.

By walking through the creation of a favorite recipe with your loved one, you are not only boosting his or her mental health, but you are also physically helping their muscle memory during the creation process of the dish. Take the time to enjoy this meal around the dinner table and share some of the family stories behind the reason behind the popularity of the family recipe.

Social Settings

Sometimes family cannot visit as often as they would like to and that is why we always have social activities going on at our senior living communities. It is important that your loved one gets involved in community activities and makes friends with their fellow community members.

Social settings are a great way to get conversations started about who people are and from where they came. This alone is a memory stimulating experience. So, if you can’t personally visit on a regular basis, try to encourage your loved one to go out and about during their time at Holly Hall.

Holly Hall is Dedicated to Keeping Our Residents’ Minds Stimulated

If your loved one is beginning to show signs of a fading memory or is becoming increasingly bored at home, it may be time to consider assisted living to improve their wellness. At Holly Hall, we can ensure you that your loved one will be treated like family and that our Christian beliefs will show through their mental, physical, and emotional care in our communities. Call us today to discuss scheduling a tour of our facility.