Senior Health – Sudoku, Scrabble and Chess
Mental Stimulation, like exercise, becomes increasingly more important as one ages. And, the good news is, that in our well wired and curious culture there are wonderful ways to stimulate one’s mind.
It is fascinating that, not unlike adolescents, seniors often cave in to the “there is nothing to do” syndrome. But, there is. Now whether there is desire, motivation, and willingness to discover the many options, is quite another thing. Research now suggests that finding something to do contributes to both better cognitive functioning as well as longer life.
Sudoku, Scrabble, Chess, a virtual box full of games and thought stimulating exercises are literally available at one’s finger tips. And, the good news? You can play them in the privacy of your home, with no one present but you and your computer. Research is now telling us that mental stimulation with puzzle games may even help slow down cognitive impairment in seniors. So in addition to just being fun, such puzzles may have a health benefit.
A side effect of Scrabble and Chess, and puzzles/games like them, is the necessity of interaction with other people. Seniors often isolate themselves and lose out on the benefits of social intercourse with others. Most lists of “How to Stay Younger Longer” include communication with friends on a frequent and regular basis. Although Sudoku can be played in isolation, two of my wife’s sisters choose to do Sudoku puzzles together and have created an interaction that usually leaves them laughing hysterically! They even get most puzzles solved.
So, don’t let “rainy days and Mondays” get you down. Get in there, wander around, seek and search and eventually find that retinue which will follow you in discovering and sharing common interests. Your assignment, if you choose to accept it, is to investigate, explore, uncover, penetrate the wide variety of possibilities. I leave to you the initiative and the specific areas of interest which may catch your eye.
You and your new friends will thank me. Trust me!