Forgetting does not have to be just a symptom of dementia, but can also be the result of an overworked mind overwhelmed by a large amount of information. That’s why we all need mental activities that stimulate us and help maintain our cognitive abilities, such as memory, thinking, and speech. A great solution is cognitive training, whose purpose is to activate cognitive functions and support various parts of the brain. This training involves developing memory and other skills like attention, thinking, planning, organization, judgment, and problem-solving. The exercises specifically stimulate areas of the brain that are not sufficiently active in everyday routine activities. They help keep the brain in good condition and serve as a preventive measure against memory decline due to aging and illness. For seniors, this training is not only a useful way to spend time but also an effective tool for improving memory and protecting against dementia.

Here are a few examples of activities that can help with cognitive training even in old age, all in a fun way.

1. Think of as many adjectives as possible that describe what a given object or person can be:

• book…
• bench…
• doctor…
• bread…
• wall…

note: The game can also be played in pairs, where one person comes up with nouns and the other with adjectives, and they take turns. Each word can also be used in a sentence afterward.

2. Create a short story using all the listed words:

• banana, dog, flower, vacation, chair
• window, squirrel, necklace, washing machine, neighbor

note: The activity can be modified by specifying the type of story to be created, such as a funny, action-packed, or sad one. The activity can also be done as a group. Print slips of paper with different words, and draw a pre-agreed number of words. Then, group members take turns creating a story, with each person contributing just one sentence that must logically follow the previous one. All words must be used by the end of the story.

3. Sudoku is a logic game played on a 9×9 grid, divided into 9 smaller 3×3 grids. The goal is to fill in the empty squares with numbers from 1 to 9 so that each number appears exactly once in every row, column, and 3×3 grid. At the start of the game, some numbers are already filled in, and the player must use logic to complete the remaining numbers without repetition. Sudoku does not require math skills but rather careful thinking and strategic planning.
   
   https://sudoku-puzzles.net/butterfly-sudoku-easy/

4. Spotting differences is a great activity for training attention, focus, perseverance, visual differentiation, memory, and more. There are different levels of difficulty and varying numbers of differences to find. The activity can be timed or not.

5. For each category, write 3 words starting with the letter S:

• name
• city
• animal
• object 

note: You can change not only the given letter but also create different categories (sports, plants, food, professions, book titles…).

6. Finding and matching identical pictures is an activity similar to memory games. You can use various images. The goal is always to find and match identical pairs of pictures.

7. Create a meaningful word from scrambled letters:

• C U K D (duck)
• H R C I A (chair)
• Q R S U L I R E (squirrel)

Zuzana Raková