{"id":9669,"date":"2020-01-09T15:05:09","date_gmt":"2020-01-09T15:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/?p=9669"},"modified":"2020-01-16T19:01:19","modified_gmt":"2020-01-16T19:01:19","slug":"keep-your-brain-young-with-games-and-puzzles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/winter-2020\/keep-your-brain-young-with-games-and-puzzles\/","title":{"rendered":"Games and Puzzles"},"content":{"rendered":"
Use it or lose it, so the saying goes.<\/em><\/h5>\n
And, that applies to the brain as well as muscles. Studies repeatedly show how stimulating the brain as we grow older helps keep the mind sharp and possibly wards off dementia or memory loss.<\/em><\/h5>\n
Brain training games are thought to play a major role in improving cognitive functions.<\/em><\/h5>\n
You could get into video games if you haven\u2019t by now \u2026 According to University of California neurobiologists playing three-dimensional video games can boost the formation of memories and improve hand-eye coordination and reaction times. \u201cWe know this kind of learning and memory not only stimulates but requires the hippocampus,” the study lead researcher said.<\/em><\/h5>\n
But even more fun might be to try any one of the games in the very fun and terrific book\u00a0299 On-The-Go Games & Puzzle to Keep Your Brain Young<\/a>\u00a0by Nancy Linde.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hear what Linde has to say about the importance of games and give one of her games a go.<\/em><\/h5>\n

299 On-The-Go Games & Puzzle to Keep Your Brain Young<\/h3>\n

By Nancy Linde <\/p><\/p>\n

G<\/span>ames often bring people together. One family in the Midwest wrote that they had \u201cthe best Thanksgiving ever\u201d when four generations of women (mother, daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter) spent hours after dinner \u201cplaying the games and laughing up a storm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Games can also offer a welcome distraction during difficult times. A man in upstate New York was going through weeks of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. His wife wrote to thank me. \u201cYour books got us through,\u201d she said, \u201cI don\u2019t know what we would have done without them.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve heard from teachers who use my games \u2026 from speech therapists who use them to help victims of stroke or head injuries regain their voices. And I hear from so many adult children of parents who are in the early- to mid-stages of dementia.<\/p>\n

They struggle, not always successfully, to find ways to communicate with Mom or Dad. Playing carefully chosen games can briefly recapture an easier time and provide some moments of shared joy.<\/p>\n

Games Are More Than Just an Amusing Diversion<\/h3>\n

The benefits of games go even further. Recent research shows that people who are mentally active in their later years (solving brain games, learning to play a musical instrument, taking up chess, or even learning a foreign language) are more mentally sharp, cognitively agile, and have better memory functions.<\/p>\n

In the same way that physical exercise postpones and reduces loss of muscle mass and increases physical flexibility, mental exercise sharpens memory, concentration, and mental flexibility.<\/p>\n

Games are just one part of a healthy lifestyle for a healthy brain. Nothing beats the basics, which include eating properly, getting enough sleep, and getting some physical exercise every day . . . you know the drill. But one thing is certain\u2014of all the things you do to stay healthy, games are likely to be the most fun!\nSix Key Cognitive Skills That Are Vulnerable in Normal Aging<\/p>\n

Living normally and independently in the world requires many different cognitive abilities. Some, such as basic perception (sight, hearing, etc.) and sensory processes (touch, taste, etc.), usually don\u2019t change much in normal aging. Other cognitive functions are more vulnerable.<\/p>\n

Key mental functions that are more likely than others to change with age are:<\/p>\n

Long-term memory<\/h4>\n

Working memory<\/h4>\n

Executive functioning A<\/h4>\n

ttention to detail<\/h4>\n

Multitasking Processing speed<\/h4>\n

Let\u2019s take a closer look at each of those cognitive functions:<\/p>\n

1. LONG-TERM MEMORY<\/h3>\n

Long-term memory is exactly what the label implies\u2014the ability to remember people, objects, or events that occurred in the distant past. If you have noticed occasional memory lapses, such as details from a long-ago vacation or the name of your favorite high school teacher, you should play games that exercise your long-term memory skills.<\/p>\n

2. WORKING MEMORY<\/h3>\n

Also called functional short-term memory, working memory is a basic mental skill. It\u2019s important for both learning and carrying out many everyday tasks. It enables the brain to briefly hold new information while it\u2019s needed in the short term. Working memory is in operation when you keep in mind the steps of a recipe while cooking a favorite family meal or going to the grocery store for four or five items without having to make a list.<\/p>\n

3. EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING<\/h3>\n

Executive functioning is a critical cognitive skill for everyday life. Without it, your life would be an unorganized mess. It involves solving problems by using information you already possess to work out novel solutions to a task or problem. If, for example, you are finding it more challenging to get organized and to accomplish routine tasks (such as running your weekend errands) efficiently or, if you find it hard to get out the door with everything you need (keys, phone, glasses), you should shape up your executive functioning skills.<\/p>\n

4. ATTENTION TO DETAIL<\/h3>\n

The process of absorbing small details when learning new information requires the ability to concentrate and stay focused. If you\u2019re finding it hard to follow instructions when setting up or using new technology (such as a microwave oven or a DVD player), or if you have to study a subway map again and again to figure out how to get from point A to point B, or if you are having problems navigating a website to purchase an item or fill a prescription, you may need to play games that exercise your focus and concentration skills.<\/p>\n

5. MULTITASKING<\/h3>\n

Multitasking is a modern word that basically means doing more than one task at a time. Do you find yourself avoiding telephone \u201cmeetings\u201d because you can\u2019t talk, listen, and take notes at the same time? Do you have trouble operating multiple controls in the car (radio, wipers, lights) while you are driving? Or do you need complete silence around you in order to read a book or work on your computer?<\/p>\n

6. PROCESSING SPEED<\/h3>\n

This refers to the speed at which your brain processes information, which includes being mentally fast enough to keep up with conversations, follow the plot of television programs or movies, and complete tasks efficiently. If you have noticed that it takes longer for you to get simple tasks done, or if you need people to repeat things because you could not keep up, you may need to upgrade your processing speed skills.<\/p>\n

Three Games to Try<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Excerpted from 299 On-The-Go Games & Puzzle to Keep Your Brain Young<\/em> <\/a>by Nancy Linde (Workman Publishing) Copyright \u00a9 2019.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Use it or lose it! New game book helps keep your brain nimble<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":9850,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,121],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-winter-2020","category-winter-2020-columns"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9669"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9669\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9863,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9669\/revisions\/9863"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}