There are many elderly people in the UK that suffer from dementia, with around 850,000 people over 80 that have mental issues such as Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia, and what’s more, 70% of the individuals staying in UK care homes also suffer from mental impairment. It is important to remain mentally active in your later years, and with that in mind, here are a few useful activities to keep you in good shape mentally.
- Physical Exercise – The older we get, the less likely we are to exercise and it is vital that you receive adequate physical exercise. If you don’t feel like working out, a brisk country walk every morning is a good start, and there are aerobic exercises that you can do that will get your blood pumping. While you might think that physical exercise has little to with the brain, it is essential that your body gets a good workout.
- Use it or Lose it – This is a phrase that best describes your mental capacities, so you should do crossword puzzles or other mental activities on a regular basis. Learning new things is always a good idea, as this keeps the brain forming new neuron connections, and if you have friends, why not organise quiz evenings? Learning new things can include how business functions today, with a digital marketing agency like Move Ahead Media, who are one of the UK’s leading SEO providers. Check out their website for interesting information on modern business.
- Talk About the Past – Talking about the past is a great way to give the long-term memory a workout, as we have to use our brain to recall past events, and when a group of elderly people get together, it is a lot of fun to remember the old days. Old photos can really jog a person’s memory, so when you have friends round for tea, ask them to bring their old photo albums and you can reminisce the good times. If you are worried about driving in your later years, click here.
- Read a Good Book – This is a great way to stimulate the mind, so use your local library to source your favourite novels and spend a little time every day reading. Reading makes you use your imagination, as you try to imagine the scene, which is much better for your brain that watching a movie, as you do not have images to help you picture the scene.
- Arts & Crafts – Making things is another great way to exercise your mind; knitting is a very popular activity, which makes you concentrate on what you are doing. If you are looking for suitable arts and crafts, an online search will reveal many fun things you can make, and many of them don’t cost money, as you can use old things such as carton packaging and cardboard.
- Music Therapy – There’s nothing more relaxing than listening to your favourite music, and with the latest technology, it is very easy to create MP3 playlists, and if you are not IT savvy, ask one of your children to do this for you.
It is very important to stay busy, both mentally and physically, and with that in mind, here is some information from the UK government about mental health, which is a must read for anyone over the age of 50.