Combating Memory Loss through 3 Stimulating Activities

Memory loss is a difficult and overwhelming condition to go through, both for the person experiencing it and their loved ones who helplessly watch them struggle. However, there are a few activities that can improve your elderly relative’s memory, and evoke a nostalgic response.

Rummaging Through a Memory Box

You know how we add in notes, messages, and photographs in a jar, gifting someone with some of our favorite memories with them? A memory box works the same way. Comprising of a range of personal items, it’s a great way to remind your loved one of the things they used to love and the memories you shared with them.

A memory box can contain an endless range of objects. Family portraits, letters, stationery they loved, photographs of them at specific places, and several other things that hold some significance to their hobbies, career, or acquaintances can be added to it. Going over the contents of the box, your loved one may be reminded of a particular moment and the range of items can help trigger past memories.

Listening to Music

Studies have pointed out the therapeutic effects of listening to music, and how they can help patients with memory loss. There’s something powerful and magical about melodies. They tend to evoke nostalgia and remind us of certain people or places while we listen to the tunes. Unsurprisingly, then, music also has a similar effect on people struggling with memory loss.

When older individuals with dementia hear music from their younger days, they may be reminded of that time, even if they aren’t able to put together the memories all at once. You may also find that they respond better to a song they used to love previously, than to music they haven’t heard before. Having a playlist of songs from their early days and that which they enjoyed can be a powerful way of evoking memories, especially in the early stages of dementia.

Playing Card Games

Card games are a great way for the brain to be stimulated and alert its memory and cognition senses. Take for instance the ever popular game Memory or Go Fish. Both serve as an excellent way to test the player’s cognitive abilities, and promote deeper mind concentration.

Playing card games with your senior loved one can help them improve their focus and the ability to concentrate. Since they require the players to remember where a specific card is placed and who has which cards, they help the mind stay active and alert as the players attempt to make a calculated move.

This can be especially helpful for individuals facing memory loss as it triggers a memory response, even if it’s a short-term one. For a more personalized effect, you can introduce customized cards with pictures of familiar faces and places on them to stimulate their memories.

AvantGarde Senior Living & Memory Care is a senior housing community in Calabasas, which provides assisted living and memory care services.

Call us at (818) 881-0055 to learn more about our senior care unit!