Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative condition that affects the brain and causes memory loss and the loss of intellectual and social capabilities. Doctors cannot cure Alzheimer's disease, but a combination of medications and lifestyle changes can help lessen the severity of its symptoms. Playing games to strengthen the brain may help improve brain functioning.
Memory Games
Because memory loss is a cornerstone symptom of Alzheimer's, exercising the parts of the brain that control memory is especially beneficial. Games that require the Alzheimer's patient to remember facts, dates, images or stories help reinforce these abilities and may provide the patient with some confidence. You can play a matching card game that asks patients to remember the image they just saw and to point out another card with the same image, just like the card-matching game children play. You can also play simple, conversational games in which you ask patients to recall certain facts from their lives or from popular news.
Word Games
Alzheimer's patients often lose vocabulary and the ability to express themselves and articulate ideas. Games that require them to remember, reinforce and use some of that lost vocabulary can help them retain the ability to express themselves in some capacity for a longer period of time. Try fill-in-the-blank games that require patients to come up with the missing word from popular sayings like "A penny saved is a penny ------." You could also do simple word search or crossword puzzles, depending on how advanced the patient's illness is.
Motor Skills Games
Alzheimer's can affect motor skills because they are controlled by the brain. Alzheimer's patients frequently become clumsy or lose the ability to do things like brush their teeth or use silverware because the brain no longer sends the correct messages to the body. An easy game of catch with a soft foam ball or a game of basketball with a wide target, such as a laundry basket, can help improve hand-eye coordination. Ball-toss games, like a simplified bowling game using plastic bottles, also work for exercising motor skills and improving hand-eye coordination.
Visual Games
Games that require Alzheimer's patients to recall images may help strengthen their memory. You can play a simple game with images by collecting photographs of friends and family, famous places or people and animals. Glue them to flashcards and write the name of the image on the back of the card in large letters. Sit with patients and flip through the cards, asking them to name the images as best they can. If they forget, flip the card over so they can read the answer, or give them a clue.
