Parkinson's: Brain Games

 A Journey Into Parkinson's With Nancy Mellon

Coordinated by Corrine Bayraktaroglu

Games are good for the brain. Even if you start playing in your 70's, it can help.

I've read that many times. (Notice I said I've read about it many times not that I've played many games.)  What kind of games?  Tough ones are best. And you need to tackle a variety of word, number and spatial-reasoning puzzles. But they are also supposed to be fun. “You have to play because it is relaxing and enjoyable, and it challenges you at the same time.” That's the problem, I don't especially like to play games.    

Reader's Digest had a good article in their September 2001 issue called “Brain Games That Really Work.” “Learning happens when you feel a little uncomfortable-in that zone where you get some things wrong, but it's not so difficult you can't get anything right.” 

One study had people both young and old playing  Super Mario 3 D World video game for 30 minutes a day for 2-4 weeks.  “The change we saw in older adults in memory ability was equivalent to someone 15 years younger.” “What's so super about Mario? Complex three dimensional video games have the same effect as when our brains are forced to navigate new, immersive environments.” 

Sooooo my son, Brendon bought Super Mario 3D World to play with me, (thank you Brendon) and we dived in. I AM SOOOO BAD AT VIDEO GAMES, (but I love the image of a grandma gleefully trouncing her grown up son, playing video games.) Ain't gonna happen. Brendon is very good at video games and very patient.  So far we have only played twice.  The best part is laughing with Brendon. 

Another study mentioned in the article found that people that went on scavenger hunts scored significantly higher for memory skills.

Hmm-My friend Holly loves to go on treasure hunts.  I emailed her to ask about how that works.  She said “What I do is called geocaching. The website you need is geocaching.com, and you'll find there are already many nearby to be found - many hidden by yours truly, AcornMama. There is a paid option, but you can play for free too, you just don't have access to every cache. Many caches are kid-friendly too, so it may be something the girls would enjoy.” Woohoo, that sounds like fun! Thanx AcornMama. 

Or we could plan a Spring -”Parkinson's and Friends- Treasure Hunt”.  A day out in Downtown Yellow Springs with rhyming clues and prizes.  An afternoon event that ended at the Senior Center for coffee and desserts. It might be neat, to make it a fundraiser for the Parkinson's Foundation or the YS Senior Center.  Plus, it's really a win-win-win, because the article stated that doing Brain Games socially was even better for your Brain.   I really like this idea. Anyone interested in making it happen with me? 

The article also talks about getting outdoors and going to new places, which sounds like fun too. But hard to even contemplate in the winter and during a pandemic. 

They had some puzzles  to try in the article.  The only one I did was the Latin Square. Anyone ever done one of these? I had never heard of them.  ..... it was challenging but sort of fun.  

There are a couple of interesting brain game studies listed. They are looking for people to join the study. Try bgc.ucr.edu/trainmymemory/  or  U.S. POINTER is underway at several different universities. If I check them out, I'll get back to you about it.  If you do, please let me know what they are like.

Basically the article says its a whole package deal. To keep your brain in good condition you need to eat well, sleep enough, exercise and play games. 

Play well, play often,

Nancy and the Snark