Just like your muscles, your brain can lose its strength and flexibility over time if it’s not routinely exercised. Engaging in brain stimulating activities is particularly vital for proper elder care, as our cognitive functioning can decline with age. The experienced home caregivers at Senior Age Care Santa Fe, LLC in MO, promote activities with their patients that stimulate the brain and keep older adults alert and focused. They have shared three elder care exercises to help keep your mind sharp and strong.

3 Brain Stimulating Activities for Seniors

1. Create a List

The ability to recall information from memory can wane as we age. To hone this skill, make a grocery list or similar (such as a to do list), and commit it to memory. An hour later, test your recall to see how many items you can remember. As you grow more skilled, challenge yourself by increasing the number of items and the complexity of the list.

2. Practice Mental Math

When was the last time you were able to complete some quick sums in your head? Pull up a few math problems a day and try to solve them without the help of a calculator.

3. Learn a New Word Daily

Studies show that possessing a rich vocabulary helps guard adult adults against cognitive impairment and the onset of incipient dementia. Pull out the dictionary or thesaurus and challenge yourself to learn one new word every day. Reading daily is an excellent way to expose yourself to new terms, and there are also plenty of mobile apps that share a “Word of the Day” for users.

If your parent or loved one is living independently but is in need of additional assistance, turn to the home caregivers at Senior Age Care of St. Louis, LLC. Locally owned and operated in St. Louis, MO, their elder care experts offer both live-in and hourly care for older adults living on their own. Follow them online for tips on proper in-home health care and how to keep your loved ones mentally engaged as they get older, or call (636) 633-6866 to speak with a member of their team.