As family members and loved ones at SeniorCare, there are times when life never seems to stop. The culmination of our regular day-to-day activities, care of our families, and general work commitments mean that the treasured quiet moments that can keep us going often turn out to be few and far between. When the minutia of life begins to pile up, it’s important to take a close look at how we spend the free moments we do have, whether those are times for ourselves or time spent at one of the SeniorCare Homes. More often than not, the solution comes through building in more margin for ourselves by simplifying the kind of activities we do as well as the number of activities we choose to partake in.

A Back-to-Basics Approach

Interestingly, a simplified approach often includes returning to the activities that made us happy in the past as we do with the residents. This back-to basics trend shows wide-spread adoption as more and more people look to rediscover the simple pleasures of cooking, coloring, DIY crafts and playing board games. Whether these choices reflect a desire to escape the grown-up world for a while or just to allow oneself to become absorbed in a pleasing activity, all of the possibilities, particularly board games, provide a great benefit to the brain.

The Many Benefits of Play

When it comes to board games, there’s no end of options to choose from. Bingo has recently made a popular comeback at both Hanover and Vineyard houses. You can also take your pick from the old-school favorites of Monopoly, Sorry or Uno or try out something new like Run Wild, Telestrations or Word on the Street. One thing all the games have in common is their ability to bring people together for a learning opportunity that helps stimulate relationship and brain development. One of the greatest benefits of board games is the idea that learning wrapped within an element of fun can take place in many different ways.

Board Games Inspire Boosts of Recognition for:

• Numbers
• Shapes
• Letters
• Words
• Colors

What’s in a Game?

Game playing also improves hand-eye coordination, manual dexterity, verbal communication, sharing, frustration management, and social skills, all within the guise of a simple game. Research studies show playing board games at least twice a week has the ability to increase brain speed and further develop inquisitiveness and creativity. During these cold days and long, dark nights of January, SeniorCare Homes regularly hosts Bingo nights and encourages impromptu games around the kitchen table with a pot of coffee. Please bring in an old game collecting dust at your house to play with the residents. The winter evening events are a fun way to beat the winter blahs and keep the brain active by learning new things.

SeniorCare Homes Activities

• Exercise and stretching each day
• Improving hand-eye coordination by playing ping pong, basketball and golf
• Whipping up favorite foods in the kitchen
• Receiving manicures, pedicures and hair styling
• Watching In-house entertainment on Netflix
• Playing Wii and iPad games
• Welcoming entertainers and performers for special occasions

SeniorCare Homes in Overland Park and Leawood, Kansas, offer the most comfortable and stable assisted living environment to seniors with dementia, memory loss, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Phone (913) 236-0036 to learn more about neighborhood living for the memory impaired.