7 Cognitive Stimulation Exercises for Older Adults

Here are 7 cognitive stimulation exercises for older adults designed by neuropsychologists and occupational therapists to strengthen functional independence and slow cognitive decline in older people.

A growing number of studies support the benefits of cognitive stimulation for older adults, not only for people with Alzheimer’s but also for older adults experiencing normal aging.

Brain aging is a natural process of life. However, this decline isn’t driven only by biological factors; it also depends on environmental factors, such as the social and family sphere, and especially on the degree of stimulation received from these areas.

That’s why, at NeuronUP, we design cognitive stimulation activities to strengthen the functional independence of older users and to slow the cognitive decline of people with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.

7 cognitive stimulation exercises for older adults

1. Straighten Up the Kitchen

What does it involve?

In this exercise, users have to put the kitchen items where they belong.

What does this activity work on?

Its main function is reasoning, and its secondary functions are cooking and cleaning, sustained attention, semantic memory, and episodic memory.

Play by levels

There are six phases. At the easier levels, the program gives more prompts to complete the activity correctly, while at the harder levels there are fewer prompts.

Customizing the activity

You can also customize the activity to suit each user’s abilities.

Parameters

On the other hand, there are the parameters, where you can select the number of items, the type and amount of help you want the user to receive, and the errors that can be made.

General settings

On the one hand, you can adjust the general settings, such as the number of exercises, the maximum time, whether or not to show a visible timer for the activity, editing the instructions, and more.

2. Word Association

What does it involve?

This NeuronUP cognitive stimulation exercise for older adults involves matching words that are related to each other.

Play by levels

It also has five difficulty levels, from basic to advanced, including easy, medium, and hard, so you can choose the one that best fits users’ abilities. Here’s an example of the easy level:

What does this activity work on?

This exercise works on reasoning.

Format

This worksheet is available in both digital and paper format.

3. Sorting Bugs

The third cognitive stimulation exercise for older adults we suggest is Sorting Bugs. This game involves rearranging moving insects so that each type ends up on its own side: letting the beetles through to one side and keeping the ladybugs on the other. To do this, attention must stay constantly focused on the insects’ movements as they approach the wall, in order to move the gate up or down.

Play by levels

There are 9 difficulty phases, from a very easy phase with just one beetle and one ladybug moving very slowly to a ninth phase with 12 beetles and 12 ladybugs moving nonstop from side to side.

Customizing the activity

Parameters

You can choose the number of beetles and ladybugs you want, how many are in the wrong place at the start, and how fast they move.

General settings

And, as in all games, you can adjust the number of exercises, the maximum time, whether or not to show a visible timer for the activity, editing the instructions, and more.

What does this activity work on?

• Planning,
• selective attention,
• sustained attention,
• hemineglect,
• processing speed.

4. Word Scramble

What does it involve?

This activity involves putting the letters shown in order to form a word. Here’s an example in the following video:

Customization

For example, if you’re working with someone who has grandchildren, you can use their grandchildren’s names, as shown in the following image. Familiar names help them focus more on the goals of the exercise.

What does this activity work on?

• Vocabulary,
• working memory

Format

This worksheet is also available in both digital and paper format.

5. Select items from a category

What does it involve?

It involves selecting a series of specific items from a group of stimuli. For example, in the following worksheet, you have to select all the tools:

Play by levels

It also has five difficulty levels, from basic to advanced, including easy, medium, and hard.

What does this activity work on?

• Selective attention,
• semantic memory.

6. Color Lottery

What does it involve?

This activity involves memorizing the color of the balls in the drum and then figuring out which one came out.

Play by levels

There are 9 difficulty levels. At the easiest level, the user only has to memorize two balls of one color, but as the user moves up, the difficulty increases and they have to memorize the background color of the ball and the color of two stripes.

Customizing the activity

You can also customize the activity to suit each user’s abilities.

Parameters

You can choose the number of balls and the number of stripes.

General settings

And, as in all games, you can adjust the number of exercises, the maximum time, whether or not to show a visible timer for the activity, editing the instructions, and more.

What does this activity work on?

• Episodic memory,
• working memory.

7. Accurate Payments

The last cognitive stimulation exercise for older adults we suggest today is Accurate Payments, an activity with clear benefits for daily life. Maintaining the ability to pay in stores, even under the close supervision of a family member or caregiver, is very stimulating for older adults.

What does it involve?

The user has to select the exact amount of money requested.

Customizing the activity

Parameters

You can define the parameters, where you can select the type of currency, whether to show only whole numbers or decimals, and the range of amounts.

For example, here we created a custom version to work with Mexican pesos.

General settings

You can choose the mode of operation, the maximum time, whether or not to show a visible timer for the activity, an inactivity alert, editing the instructions, and more.

What does this activity work on?

• Working memory,
• planning,
• shopping.

References

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• Wilson, B. (1987). Single-Case Experimental Designs in Neuropsychological Rehabilitation. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 9(5), 527-544. doi:10.1080/01688638708410767
•  Crete-Nishihata, M., Baecker, R. M., Massimi, M., Ptak, D., Campigotto, R., Kaufman, L. D., … Black, S. E. (2012). Reconstructing the Past: Personal memory Technologies Are Not Just Personal and Not Just for memory. Human–Computer Interaction, 27(1-2), 92-123. doi:10.1080/07370024.2012.656062
• Mihailidis, A., Fernie, G. R., & Barbenel, J. C. (2001). The use of artificial intelligence in the design of an intelligent cognitive orthosis for people with dementia. Assistive technology: the official journal of RESNA, 13(1), 23-39. doi :10.1080/10400435.2001.10132031
• Cipriani, G., Bianchetti, A., & Trabucchi, M. (2006). Outcomes of a computer-based cognitive rehabilitation program on Alzheimer’s disease patients compared with those on patients affected by mild cognitive impairment. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 43(3), 327-335. doi:10.1016/j.archger.2005.12.003
• Cohene, T., Baecker, R., & Marziali, E. (2005). Designing Interactive Life Story Multimedia for a Family Affected by Alzheimer’s Disease: A Case Study. In Proceedings of ACM CHI (pp. 2–7).
• Hofmann, M., Rösler, A., Schwarz, W., Müller-Spahn, F., Kräuchi, K., Hock, C., & Seifritz, E. (2003). Interactive computertraining as a therapeutic tool in Alzheimer’s disease. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 44(3), 213- 219. doi:10.1016/S0010-440X(03)00006-3
• Kueider, A. M., Parisi, J. M., Gross, A. L., & Rebok, G. W. (2012). Computerized Cognitive Training with Older Adults: A Systematic Review. PLoS ONE, 7(7). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0040588
• Cassavaugh, N. D., & Kramer, A. F. (2009). Transfer of computer-based training to simulated driving in older adults. Applied Ergonomics, 40(5), 943-952. doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2009.02.001
• Basak, C., Boot, W. R., Voss, M. W., & Kramer, A. F. (2008). Can training in a realtime strategy video game attenuate cognitive decline in older adults? Psychology and aging, 23(4), 765-777. doi:10.1037/a0013494
  Flnkel, S. I., & Yesavage, J. A. (1989). Learning mnemonics: A preliminary evaluation of a computer-aided instruction package for the elderly. Experimental Aging Research, 15(4), 199-201. doi:10.1080/03610738908259776
• Rebok, G. W., Carlson, M. C., & Langbaum, J. B. S. (2007). Training and Maintaining memory Abilities in Healthy Older Adults: Traditional and Novel Approaches. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 62(Special Issue 1), 53-61.
• Jobe, J. B., Smith, D. M., Ball, K., Tennstedt, S. L., Marsiske, M., Willis, S. L., … Kleinman, K. (2001). Active: A cognitive intervention trial to promote independence in older adults. Controlled Clinical Trials, 22(4), 453- 479. doi:10.1016/S0197-2456(01)00139-8

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