For older people, brain training should be conducted as much as possible to get maximum benefits, but positive impacts can be seen in a very short period. A recent study found that elderly people who spent five to six weeks consistently completing brain exercises such as memory tasks and number puzzles, experienced improvements to their mental health in areas of memory, reasoning, and information processing. The effects of these exercises lasted at least five years. Your activity should require some level of constant practice, but the goal is not to strive for vast improvements. "It is the constant repetition of working to improve, and not the quest for mastery, that can have the greatest impact," says Dr. Morris. Bingo is a fun and easy activity that can be played in large or small groups. It is one of the most common activities of older adults who live in care homes or who attend day centres, and can easily be replicated in or out of the home. Playing bingo is not only fun and stimulating, but it also has a number of health benefits for seniors.

I searched online for local practitioners because Jim would possibly have difficulty travelling to London once or twice a week. And BrainTrainUK seemed a very professional company.Computer games also require that the player learns new skills, something which can help to ensure long-term cognitive health in older people and will also bring a sense of achievement. 17. Volunteering for the over-50s

Lardone A, Liparoti M, Sorrentino P, et al. Mindfulness meditation is related to long-lasting changes in hippocampal functional topology during resting state: A magnetoencephalography study. Neural Plast. 2018;2018:5340717. doi:10.1155/2018/5340717 In collaboration with the Gallup Poll organisation, our UCLA research team evaluated responses from more than 18,000 people aged from 18 to 99 on behaviours that support memory. The greater number of healthy lifestyle habits (ie physical exercise, healthy diet, not smoking) that people practised, the better were their memory scores. Respondents who engaged in just one healthy behaviour were 21% less likely to report memory problems, while those engaged in three healthy behaviours were 75% less likely to notice forgetfulness. These results are consistent with other research indicating the synergistic benefits of combining healthy behaviours to lower risk for diabetes and heart disease. Rate your memory baseline And there’s a third possibility - that people who do more mentally stimulating activities in older age are those who had higher thinking skills to begin with, that is, from childhood onwards. Fissler, P., et al.(2018). Jigsaw puzzling taps multiple cognitive abilities and is a potential protective factor for cognitive aging. Peak is the fun, free brain training workout designed around you. Peak uses brain games and puzzles to challenge memory, language and critical thinking to keep your mind active.Chess has been around for centuries, but it is often overlooked as a game that can boost brain health and mental wellbeing. Chess is all about strategy, planning ahead and thinking outside the box – simply put, it is a great activity for those of all ages.