Social distancing and COVID-19 have had many of us finding new ways to get through our days while trying to keep our mental health and mental sharpness intact. Social distancing while receiving home care can be extremely taxing for seniors. Without the interaction they are used to, they can succumb to feelings of loneliness, isolation, and even depression.
Today, we will talk about how we can help the seniors in our lives and ensure that they maintain mental sharpness while social distancing and getting home care.
Puzzle Books
Studies have shown the importance of using each part of your brain to prevent it from weakening over time. Sometimes, this can be hard to do when you are social distancing and your interactions with others are at a minimum. One way to retain mental sharpness and focus is by working on puzzle books.
Solving puzzles is a good way to engage the brain by doing a stimulating cognitive activity. When you work out every part of your brain, it is far easier to grow new neural connections and keep your mental sharpness in check.
Crossword puzzles, Sudoku, word problems, and riddles can all help improve memory, creativity, and reasoning. They will also allow the mind to stay sharp and alert while improving your problem-solving skills.
Phone Conversations
Just because we need to be socially distancing right now doesn’t mean that we have to forego phone conversations with our loved ones. Having daily phone conversations can help combat any feelings of loneliness seniors may be experiencing, and it allows them to maintain their mental sharpness by remaining aware of what is going on.
Apps For Mental Sharpness
Several apps also exist to help retain mental sharpness. They are designed to keep your faculties working as much as possible while giving the brain the workout it needs.
Some apps have a collection of games available online that tests your various mental skills. Others also have graphs to show how you are doing and improving over time so you can keep track of your progress.
Peak, for example, is an app available on both Android and iOS. It is a free app with the option of in-app purchases. It contains mini games that cover several subjects, including memory, language, mental agility, and attention. There are more than 30 games in total, and they can help keep one’s brain and mental functions sharp while social distancing.
Elevate is another app that helps with mental sharpness and alertness. Again, this is available for both Android and iOS devices and is free with the option of in-app purchases.
More than 30 mini games are available to test memory, math, comprehension, and other important mental skills. The app allows you to change difficulty levels as you master the games.
Podcasts
Another way to focus your mind while social distancing during COVID-19 is by listening to podcasts. To improve our mental sharpness, we should always be learning something new, and listening to podcasts while doing things around the home is an ideal way to accomplish just that.
A podcast can even slow you down at home so that everything doesn’t seem as mentally demanding. Certain podcasts can also help you practice mindfulness and other forms of meditation that can improve your mental health during these uncertain times.
As you can see, there are several ways seniors can improve and maintain their mental sharpness while social distancing and receiving home care during COVID-19. We can’t let our loved ones suffer because they don’t have the interaction they are used to having. Putting these ideas in place can contribute significantly to one’s mental health and help keep the seniors in our life focused and aware.