How Alzheimer’s Disease Can Affect a Senior’s Finances

If your loved one has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, it’s important to prepare for all the ways in which life will change. Not only will your loved one’s circumstances change, but the disease will also impact your own life and the lives of your extended family members. One often overlooked area is your loved one’s finances. People with dementia may show signs of financial troubles before they ever receive an official diagnosis. Here are some crucial financial mistakes to watch out for when your senior loved one has dementia. 

Payments Are Missed

While many seniors remain financially independent well into old age, your loved one will likely require your support when Alzheimer’s is involved. Ask your loved one to sit down with you and review all of their monthly bills. If you notice any unpaid bills, prioritize these ahead of other monthly outgoings. 

Sometimes older adults are embarrassed about their financial situation, and rather than asking for help, they let it go for months without taking any action. Neglecting their finances is obviously not ideal, so the sooner you help your loved one take control, the better. 

Bad Credit Scores Long Before Diagnosis

Alzheimer’s disease usually does not appear suddenly. Rather, the person will slowly begin to exhibit signs and symptoms over an extended period. Their symptoms can typically be confused with normal signs of aging, such as forgetting information, losing your train of thought while speaking, or misplacing items around the house. 

However, if your loved one has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, their credit score may have already been negatively affected due to missed payments, overspending, and other poor financial decisions. Sit down with them, check their credit score and, if needed, consult a financial advisor to get an overview of the situation. 

Investing Unwisely

Have you noticed your loved one making investments that seem out of character? Are you concerned they have they fallen victim to a financial scam? Unfortunately, financial scammers are prolific and they prey on elderly and vulnerable people – specifically older adults with Alzheimer’s – are easy targets.

If your senior loved one regularly makes investments, ask them to review their current portfolio with you, so you can understand where their money is going. You may be able to spot any scams or pyramid schemes before they lose too much money. 

Overspending Money

Most seniors have a fixed amount of money to spend each month. If you notice that your loved one has overdrawn their account, or racked up credit card bills that seem out of character, they may be overspending due to memory issues. Ask them to share their account balances with you, as well as any credit card balances they have, so you can get a better idea of how much money they’re spending each month. 

Financial Planning for People With Dementia

As mentioned above, many seniors live on a fixed income and have limited budgets, so having a firm handle on finances is extremely important. We recommend scheduling a meeting with a financial planner as soon as you can after your loved one receives their diagnosis. They can help you with issues like improving credit scores, eliminating debt, and making wise investments. The sooner you help your loved one take control of their financial situation, the sooner you can work together to make smarter decisions. 

If your senior loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and you’d like more information about how you can help them with their financial planning, please contact our team at UMC today or visit our website at: https://umcommunities.org

This blog was originally published at https://umcommunities.org/umc-corp/blog/alzheimers-disease-and-finances/

What to Do When a Loved One with Dementia Wanders Off

Wandering off is arguably one of the biggest risk factors and fears when it comes to caring for a loved one with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. If your loved one with dementia has wandered off, you need to act immediately. Should your loved one ever go missing, here are some immediate steps to take from our Tapestries Memory Care team in South Jersey.

1. Search the surrounding area. Those who wander are usually found within a half-mile from where they were seen last. Check inconspicuous and familiar places in and near the home like hall closets, the basement, or the garden. If possible, send other family members into the neighborhood to look for your loved one. Enlisting the help of others will help you cover more ground at a quicker pace.
2. Call the police. If you cannot find mom or dad within 15-20 minutes, call 911 and file a missing person’s report. It’s important to mention that your loved one is an older adult who has Alzheimer’s disease and memory issues. Police will wait to begin their search for your loved one until 24 hours have passed unless they are made aware of these details regarding their memory impairments. You should also give police identifying characteristics to look out for like their bright red shirt or large sun hat.
3. Lean on family and friends for support. After your senior parent goes missing, it’s normal to feel distressed, sadness, shock, and guilt, which can cause you to make irrational decisions. With that in mind, contact your closest family and friends to help support you during this time, while following the instructions of the police and other search teams.
4. Stay put. Have family, friends, and others continue searching while you stay put in one place. Even though your gut instinct will be to get involved with the search, sometimes it’s better to remain at the scene in case your loved one returns on their own. It’s also important to keep your phone lines open so that you can be easily reached by everyone else who is out looking for mom or dad.
5. Call dementia hotlines. Consider calling in broader resources to help. You can call local Alzheimer’s hotlines in your area or reach out to national ones like the National Silver Alert Program or Safe Return.

Dementia wandering prevention for seniors in Camden County

One of the best ways your loved one can remain safe and avoid wandering away from home is by moving to a secure, professional memory care setting in a senior community. At Collingswood, our Tapestries® memory care neighborhood has a welcoming, dementia-safe apartments where seniors are safe to enjoy their hobbies and have meaningful experiences every day. Our security personnel, as well as Life Enrichment Team Specialists, are on site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to ensure your loved one is well taken care of at all times.

If your loved one is showing early signs of dementia and you are having difficulty caring for them, please call 856-369-3092 to find out whether a move to a dedicated memory care apartment is the right option for them, and you. To learn more about Tapestries memory care in Camden County, please contact United Methodist Communities at Collingswood or visit our website at: https://collingswood.umcommunities.org/

Original content posted on https://collingswood.umcommunities.org/collingswood/what-to-do-when-a-loved-one-with-dementia-wanders-off/

Is there a Genetic Link to Alzheimer’s Disease?

 

September is World Alzheimer’s Month, a campaign created to raise awareness and challenge the many stigmas that surround this disease. If someone you love has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s then you know how frustrating, difficult, and confusing the disease can be. And navigating the situation while continuing to support your loved one can be tough. Medical researchers are working hard to understand more about Alzheimer’s and answer one common question: “Is Alzheimer’s disease genetic?” 

Here’s what the latest research says:

There are two types of Alzheimer’s disease: late onset and early onset. Late onset represents most of Alzheimer’s cases and people typically start to show signs in their mid-60s or later. While researchers have not found an identifiable gene responsible for late-onset Alzheimer’s, there is a gene called the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene that increases a person’s risk. Everyone inherits two forms of the APOE gene – one from each biological parent – but inheriting the APOE gene does not necessarily mean you will get Alzheimer’s. Similarly, people who did not inherit the APOE gene from either parent are sometimes diagnosed with the disease. 

Early onset Alzheimer’s is much more rare,and usually occurs between ages 30 and 60. While not all cases are genetic, there are three inherited single-gene mutations believed to be associated with early onset Alzheimer’s. For a person whose biological parent carries one of these three genetic mutations, there is a 50% chance that person will inherit the mutation which may lead to developing early onset Alzheimer’s. 

Having a parent who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease does not strictly mean you will also get it. Research shows that if you have a sibling or a parent with Alzheimer’s you are more likely to develop the disease, but it’s not a guarantee. Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia and dementias typically run in families but researchers are still trying to determine if it’s caused by hereditary factors, environmental factors, or some combination of both. 

If Alzheimer’s disease runs in your family, you can take a blood test to determine if you have any of the genes that increase your likelihood of being diagnosed. But it’s important to keep in mind that there is no current test that can tell you definitively if you will develop the disease or not. In order to monitor for early signs of Alzheimer’s, experts recommend understanding your family’s medical history, being aware of the signs and symptoms, having consistent conversations with your doctor, and checking in with family members regularly. 

Assisted living for your loved one

When someone you love receives an Alzheimer’s diagnosis there are many factors to consider. First and most importantly is their safety and well-being, and unfortunately most people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s will struggle to continue living independently after a period of time. An assisted living facility with around-the-clock care and security, but that also allows your loved one to maintain their lifestyle and retain their independence, is often the best way forward. 

At United Methodist Communities our residents enjoy personalized care and have full access to many amenities including housekeeping and maintenance services, health monitoring, medication assistance, and more. For those with Alzheimer’s disease, our facility ensures they are always healthy and safe at all times and you’ll also have peace of mind knowing they’re being cared for by professionals. 

For information about Pitman, our assisted living community in Gloucester County, please contact us today. We look forward to hearing from you.

Original Content posted on https://umcommunities.org/health-wellness/is-there-a-genetic-link-to-alzheimers-disease/

Protecting Your Parents from Alzheimer’s Cure Scams

 An Alzheimer’s diagnosis can be frightening, not only for a parent but also for the family members. While doctors and specialists will do all that they can to manage symptoms and keep the patient healthy, some patients become desperate to try anything to cure or treat the disease.

Unfortunately, this makes them especially vulnerable to Alzheimer’s scams and their consequences, which could result in lost money and even compromised health. Here are some tips for protecting your elderly parents, from our assisted living team in Gloucester County:

• Why Are Alzheimer’s Patients so Vulnerable?

It’s important to understand that your mom or dad, a person who may usually be very rational, aware of scams and reasonable, can become more vulnerable after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. There are several reasons for this.

1. Firstly, there is currently no cure for this condition, which can make a patient feel desperate to try anything that may promise a cure. 
2. Secondly, Alzheimer’s changes the brain itself, which can reduce the ability to understand social cues, making a person less likely to realize they are being scammed. 

These scams are incredibly dangerous, not only compromising a person’s financial situation, but potentially interacting harmfully with medications.

• Here’s What You Can Do

It’s important to remember that just because a product is sold in a pharmacy or drugstore, it doesn’t mean that it is actually able to deliver the results it promises on the label. The Federal Drug Administration and the Alzheimer’s Association recommend looking for the following warning signs that may indicate a scam:

1. The product claims to reverse dementia symptoms;
2. The product claims to be a cure, or to have cured a person with dementia or Alzheimer’s;
3. The product claims to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by a specific amount;
4. It claims to be a scientific breakthrough; and/or
5. It makes very broad claims that it helps with multiple serious health conditions and illnesses.

You can also check the FDA’s Flickr account where they publish a photostream of products that make unproven claims about Alzheimer’s. This makes it easy to check specific labeling and packaging.

The Alzheimer’s Association also has a list on its website of supplements and alternative therapies that are commonly marketed or recommended to patients that clarifies exactly what they can and can’t do, so you can make an informed purchasing decision.

Expert, Compassionate Care for Alzheimer’s Patients – Assisted Living in Gloucester County, NJ 

Pitman is an assisted living community in Gloucester County, NJ, offering high-quality, scalable assisted living services in a comfortable, well-supported and beautiful environment. As part of the United Methodist Communities network, we also offer rehabilitation, access to therapists, hospice care, respite care, memory care, and support services. We welcome seniors from all faith backgrounds.

To find out more about our assisted living community, please visit our website at https://pitman.umcommunities.org/, and contact us today or book a personal tour.

Original content posted on https://umcommunities.org/blog/protecting-your-parents-from-alzheimers-cure-scams/

WSI Engages with United Methodist Communities at “The Shores” For Brand & SEO Development

In its continuing mission to bring the “Abundant Life” to New Jersey’s senior citizens, United Methodist Communities at The Shores in Ocean City New Jersey, has partnered with WSI to deliver website management, Search Engine Marketing, and content development services. The goal is to enhance brand recognition for The Shores in southern NJ and drive awareness of UMC’s unique offering in the Assisted Living Community marketplace around the state.
(https://theshores.umcommunities.org)

WSI had developed the rebranded website and consulted on the design and development of the ongoing online marketing program, which is focused on SEO and statewide brand recognition.  New marketing initiatives include both paid search and organic search optimization, custom content creation, and ongoing paid advertising initiatives for the Community.

Marketing United Methodist Communities At The Shores

As long-standing experts in the digital marketing associated with assisted living and senior care services across the country, WSI has helped dozens of local assisted living facilities and nursing homes find new clients in their local area’s. Key to the rise in occupancy attributed to WSI efforts, is both the increase in visibility and the compelling content produced by WSI that understands the unique selling proposition of the brand. Crafting this messaging and bringing out the best UMC has to offer has been instrumental to creating a sales funnel through their digital properties that exceeded all previous attempts at digital marketing.

To market Assisted Living at The Shores, all unique services and aspects of the facility must be analyzed and presented. This coupled with a deep understanding of the types of clients that use or influence the use of assisted living, and their buying journey, allows us to craft content and programs that keep the brand in the right places, in the right way, at the right time.

WSI markets independently all of the senior care services available at the shores including Alzheimer’s and memory care, hospice care, respite care, rehabilitation and nursing home services in New Jersey.

The WSI Assisted Living Marketing Model

WSI Brand development services for this client includes advanced SEO services as part of its “Semantic Mapping” approach to on-page SEO.  With this approach a comprehensive study of local product demand is conducted and mapped into a strategic architecture for the company website and all company web properties.  Quality Blog, graphic and video content is created and syndicated on external web properties including Tumblr, WordPress and BlogSpot in addition to dozens of other social media and content hubs.

WSI’s Elite Regional Branding program is comprehensive.  By carefully customizing this content strategy through on-page and off-page activities, WSI has achieved amazing results through a highly conservative approach that has proved resistant to changes in Google’s search algorithm’s and even improved client visibility as less reputable SEO approaches cause competitors to disappear from Search Engine Visibility.

For further details on WSI’s capabilities and strategies around the marketing of assisted living communities, or more generally around SEO, SEM, Paid Search, and content programs, please contact us for a free analysis and consultation.

Original content posted on https://www.winm-nj.com/blog/the-shores-assisted-living-nj/

Signs Your Loved One With Alzheimer’s Is Ready for Hospice Care

For family and caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients, facing the last stages of this disease is an incredible challenge — not just emotionally, but physically and mentally. This is a time in which making care decisions becomes more and more difficult. During these final life stages, hospice services can provide the care and support you and your loved one need. If you’re considering hospice care, be aware of signs that your loved one is ready for professional end-of-life care.

An Alzheimer’s patient is ready for hospice when:

• A doctor has diagnosed a life expectancy of 6 months or less. This criterion is universal for all hospice patients, regardless of their health conditions, as this care is designed to manage pain and focus on comfort in the last stages of life — not provide treatment for a disease.
• They become totally dependent. In the final stages of Alzheimer’s, patients become totally dependent on caregivers for assistance in daily life and activities. This includes physical dependency, as many people are unable to walk, sit or attend to their personal hygiene.
• Weight loss increases. Late-stage Alzheimer’s patients struggle to take in enough food and liquid, have difficulty manipulating utensils, and even difficulty chewing and swallowing, which leads to weight loss.
• They are unable to communicate effectively. The loss of intelligent speech, inability to express themselves, and inability to respond to others indicate the disease is reaching its final phase.
• They are more vulnerable to other diseases and infections. Dealing with other health conditions along with Alzheimer’s can be exceptionally challenging, as many patients suffer from pneumonia and other infections.

Hospice in South Jersey is about spending quality time with your loved one

Alzheimer’s is a challenge for patients and their loved ones, and even more so for family caregivers. Hospice is not just about providing comfort and care for our residents, it’s about taking the weight off family caregivers and loved ones so they can make the most of this final time together in a supportive environment.

At The Shores, a part of the well-known United Methodist Communities non-profit organization in New Jersey, we offer a compassionate, professional hospice neighborhood in Cape May County called Bridges. In this program, we focus on creating a nurturing and comforting environment for patients and their loved ones through customized care programs and compassionate support.

To find out more about our hospice neighborhood in the Jersey Shore area, please visit our website and contact us today at https://theshores.umcommunities.org/ to arrange your visit.

Original content posted on https://umcommunities.org/blog/signs-loved-one-alzheimers-ready-hospice-care/

The Importance of DNRs and Advance Directives

While planning for medical emergencies and health problems is important at any age, this becomes essential as we get older. It isn’t pleasant to think about Advance Directives and Do Not Resuscitate orders, but the important thing to remember it that it is about ensuring that your wishes are respected in the event that you cannot speak for yourself. Here’s some more information about these legal documents, from our hospice in South Jersey.

What is an Advance Directive?

This is a legally binding document that contains instructions according to an individual’s wishes and state law on how healthcare decisions must be made on their behalf in the event that they are too ill to do so themselves. They can contain a wide range of instructions that cover situations in which you are unconscious, terminal or suffering from a disease that will affect your mental abilities, like Alzheimer’s. In this document, you can appoint an individual to act legally on your behalf for medical decisions (a healthcare proxy), specify if you want to refuse certain treatments like blood transfusions, if you would like to have a DNR order, and even if you would like to be an organ donor or not.

This document is important not only because it helps ensure that your care needs are properly met when you can’t speak for yourself, but that there is also a clear, legal guideline for family and loved ones to follow in this situation.

What is a DNR?

This is a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order, a legally binding document that forms part of your Advance Directive, in which a person can declare that they don’t want cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if their heart stops beating or they stop breathing. This is because without this order, medical staff are obligated to try reviving you. This may not sound like a bad thing, but for many patients who are terminal, being revived and put on life support at the very end of their lives presents a traumatic, uncomfortable and expensive treatment that offers a low quality of life and no true recovery. For these patients, a DNR offers a peaceful and compassionate transition instead.

Expert hospice care in Cape May County, founded on principles of compassion and comfort

At The Shores, a part of the well-known United Methodist Communities non-profit organization in New Jersey, we offer compassionate, professional hospice care in Cape May County called Bridges. In this program, we focus on creating a nurturing and comforting environment for patients and their loved ones through customized care programs and compassionate support. To find out more about our hospice South Jersey, please visit our website athttps://theshores.umcommunities.org/ or contact us today and organize your visit.
Original content posted on https://umcommunities.org/blog/importance-dnrs-advance-directives/

Helpful Communication Strategies for Dementia

Alzheimer’s and other dementia conditions progressively diminish mental capacity as they worsen, including a patient’s ability to communicate with and understand the people around them. Here are some insights from our assisted living community in Gloucester County, NJ on developing an effective way to communicate with your loved one.

Common communication problems for dementia patients: 

• Struggling to find the right word
• Describing an object rather than calling it by its name
• Mixing up word order while speaking
• Finding it difficult to complete a sentence or express a train of thought in full
• Using gestures rather than words
• Repeating familiar words too often

How to get the most out of your communication with your loved one: 

• Create a distraction-free zone. To encourage your loved one to focus on you and what you are saying, pick a time and a quiet and calm place where no one is likely to interrupt. This allows them to focus their effort on you and the conversation.
• Steady your tone. Communicating can be frustrating. While you may be stressed or worried, if you want to communicate effectively with your loved one, you have to leave that all at the door. Relax, use a warm, calm tone and speak naturally without condescension or baby talk.
• Use names. Following a conversation takes a lot of energy and effort for many dementia patients.Using names rather than “he,” “she” or “they” helps your loved one stay on track and avoids confusion and unnecessary repetition.
• Stick to one topic at a time. It’s natural for us to jump from topic to topic and go off on a tangent, but this can be difficult for your loved one to follow. Rather, stick to one thread of conversation and only move on after you are both fully finished on that topic.
• Patience. The more progressive your loved one’s condition, the more patience you will need to have a productive conversation with them. Give them time to express what they are trying to say, actively listen to and consider their answer, and breathe deeply and let the moment pass if you start feeling frustrated.

Above all else, it’s important to remember that there will be good days and bad days with your loved one. Some days will bring good conversation while other days it will be better to simply sit quietly with your loved one and let them take comfort from your presence.

Alzheimer’s and dementia care and support at our assisted living community in Gloucester County, NJ 

Collingswood is part of the United Methodist Communities’ network of high-quality, non-profit assisted living communities specializing in residential and assisted living for seniors. In addition to our wide range of customized services for seniors, we also offer expert memory care and support services for patients with dementia conditions.

To find out more about United Methodist Communities or our assisted living services, please contact us at https://pitman.umcommunities.org and book your visit today.

Original content posted on https://umcommunities.org/blog/helpful-communication-strategies-dementia/

Travelling with your elderly loved ones this Thanksgiving holiday

Thanksgiving is a wonderful opportunity to spend time with family, but this may mean travelling with an elderly loved one, which can make your trip more challenging. Here are some tips from caregivers at one of our senior and assisted living communities in New Jersey on making this an easy and enjoyable time for everyone.

• Plan ahead: Having a set itinerary for your trip will allow you and your loved one peace-of-mind. Know exactly what time you have to leave to the airport or get on the road to get to your destination – and be sure to plan to arrive early, as this gives you some extra time to deal with any unforeseen delays.
• Flying: Airlines are happy to accommodate elderly passengers but be sure to take time to find out how best to travel with your loved one. Speak to the airline in advance to organize assistance through TSA checkpoints, secure a wheelchair (a good option even if your loved one is fairly mobile), oxygen (if needed), and a seat that is suited to elderly or disabled passengers. Some airlines even offer discounted tickets for seniors.
• Medication: Keep all medications separately in a single freezer bag along with a list of their names and instructions for use. This is helpful for families who are unused to managing medications as well as doctors, in the event that medical assistance is needed. If you are flying, you will have to keep these stored in transparent 3-ounce. containers for security purposes. Be sure to check out the medical facilities closest to your destination.
• Light schedule: Busy days filled with events are often stressful and tiring for the elderly, so make sure to either keep a very light schedule of events or ensure that your loved one can have plenty of supervised recovery time while you and other family members are out.
• Relax and enjoy: Travelling can be stressful for anyone, regardless of your age, so take time to relax and enjoy your trip. It’s important to make the most of these events together, but that doesn’t mean taking on everything yourself. Spread the load between family members and friends, and remember to spend quality time simply enjoying each other’s company.

Aging in place at our beautiful assisted living community in New Jersey 

United Methodist Communities at Bristol Glen, an assisted living community in Sussex County, New Jersey, offers seniors independence, comfort and a vibrant social life along with high quality careFounded on a philosophy of aging in place, our residents benefit from a less restrictive care model where they can remain in their residential apartments to access additional services if their needs change.

With a personalized and customized set of services, seniors are able to fully access the level of care they require, when they require it. We are also fully equipped and able to assist Alzheimer’s and dementia patients through our memory care and support services.

Contact us to find out more about our assisted living facilities, and book your visit today.

Original content posted on https://umcommunities.org/blog/travelling-elderly-loved-ones-thanksgiving-holiday/

What are memory care and support services all about?

While memory care services are often associated with assisted living and may overlap, the two are not the same. Assisted living primarily focuses on providing essential support for day-to-day living like bathing, dressing, meal preparation and medication, while memory care services specifically assist residents with dementia conditions like Alzheimer’s. Here’s some insight into these services from memory care service providers in South Jersey.

Comfortable residential settings for dementia patients
United Methodist Communities at The Shores, offers residents with memory conditions a comfortable, homey residential setting specifically designed to foster the best quality of life. Our staff and therapists are fully trained to care for all residents as well as offer compassionate companionship.

Our programs are based on each person’s individual needs and capabilities, as well as their preferences and strengths. We incorporate everyday routines into a neighborhood lifestyle, including tasks like setting the table, cooking, folding clothes, gardening and group discussions.

In addition to this, we offer therapeutic programs that promote involvement and participation including fitness programs, hands-on creative art, music sessions and other forms of sensory stimulation and entertainment.

By offering comfortable studio apartments, a range of communal activity areas and state-of-the-art nurse call and wander management systems, we strive to balance our scalable care services with patient dignity and independence.

Customized memory care and support services in South Jersey
At The Shores, as part of United Methodist Communities, we aim to serve our memory care residents as well as their loved ones with compassion, respect and expert support. As an EAGLE accredited organization, we are mindful of our not-for-profit status, remaining accountable and continually improving our performance and services in order to provide residents with the best quality care available.

For more information about our assisted living and memory care services for Alzheimer’s and dementia, please contact us today to arrange for a personal visit.

Original content posted on https://umcommunities.org/blog/memory-care-support-services/

Memory games that promote healthy brains

Memories play an important role in forming who we are but, as we age, certain dementia conditions can start to erode these vital building blocks of our relationships, knowledge and personality. Conditions like Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia and Lewy body dementia currently have no cure, but there are ways to fight against memory loss, help exercise your brain and keep neurological pathways firing and responding properly, say memory care services specialists in Gloucester County, New Jersey.

• Sudoku: This Japanese numbers game has gained a popular following in recent decades, with people of all ages enjoying the challenge. Using a grid of nine by nine spaces or cells, you fill the grid using the numbers 1 to 9, never using them more than once vertically, horizontally or within the 3×3 subgrids. This is a great way to exercise patience, pattern recognition and the process of elimination. They range from easy beginner’s games up to more difficult challenges, so it’s easy to try and see if you enjoy it. Most newspapers publish a few puzzles and there are books of Sudoku challenges as well as free puzzles online.

• Crossword puzzles: A traditional favorite, these challenges are good for exercising memory recall and problem solving. They are available in different formats and sizes that offer unique challenges, including simple or easy clue formats or the more difficult indirect or cryptic clues. Sometimes, they follow different themes, including pop culture, literature, sports, history, or a combination of themes. Try out the crosswords in your local paper for a quick memory training session.

• Apps and games: For a slightly more advanced take on brain training, you can use a wide range of programs on computers, tablets or smartphones. Many of them, like Lumosity, have been developed by neuroscientists, making them engaging as well as offering practice training for your brain.

• Puzzles: These come in a wide range of sizes and complexity and many people enjoy doing them with a friend as well as on their own. Puzzles form useful therapy tools for memory care residents, helping to rebuild problem solving skills as well as encouraging memory stimulation and participation. If you are looking for a puzzle for a loved one with a memory condition, a therapist will be able to help you choose one that provides optimal stimulation without causing frustration.

• Education: While this isn’t a memory game, learning new things is pivotal to keeping your brain fit and active. Attending guest lectures, enrolling in classes and clubs, and reading new books will all help your brain to form new, healthy neural pathways.

Expert memory care and support services in our assisted living community
Pitman is a senior living and assisted living community in Gloucester County, New Jersey. As part of United Methodist Communities, we’re dedicated to providing our residents with the highest quality of life possible through our compassionate care and professional services. As part of our services, we offer memory support to those with Alzheimer’s and dementia, promoting dignity and independence while meeting each person’s individual needs.

For more information about our assisted living community or memory care services, please contact us today or arrange a visit to our premises.

Original content posted at https://umcommunities.org/blog/memory-games-promote-healthy-brains/