Whether your loved one is in an assisted living community or is receiving care at home, their cognitive and memory care needs are as vital as their physical ones. Mental decline can be difficult, but there are a few ways to boost your senior loved one’s mental abilities. Here are four simple ways to help keep them sharp.

How to Keep Your Senior Loved One’s Mind Sharp

1. Keep Them Moving

Exercise and physical activity are vital to keeping your loved one’s mind healthy. Inactivity results in mental decline due to lack of stimulation and poor circulation throughout the brain, as well as an imbalance of chemicals. Encourage them to be active however they’re able, be it walking, water aerobics, light yoga, or physical therapy. If they live in a senior living community, there might be exercise groups they can join.

2. Play Mind-Boosting Games With Them

Brainteasers and games designed to work the mind will exercise reasoning, strategy, math, and deduction skills. This can be as simple as crosswords and activity books, or you can go online. There are apps available to encourage mental growth, and there are online programs designed specifically to aid in seniors’ memory care.

3. Be Social Butterflies

Having a strong social network supports brain health for adults and seniors, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Being social reduces rates of disability, mortality, and depression in seniors, and it’s been shown to postpone symptoms of dementia. Activities like reading clubs, chess clubs, or social groups should be a part of your loved one’s memory care plan.

4. Do Crafts & Try New Things

Crafting and trying new things will stimulate your loved one’s mind. Attempting a new skill will work their brain as they learn something new, like knitting or whittling. Crafts like painting, coloring, or playing music will stretch their creative muscles and require cognitive power as they make something new.

In Rochester, NY, your loved one will receive compassionate memory care at GrandeVille Senior Living Community. For over 40 years, they’ve provided assisted living and cognitive care services to the Finger Lakes region. Their all-inclusive price covers meals, housekeeping, case management, and more, and they have pharmacy, physical therapy, podiatry, and laboratory services on-site. Licensed and regulated by NYSH, this family-owned and -operated senior living community offers dependable, personalized care. Learn about their memory residences online, and call (585) 621-6160 to schedule a tour today.