Things are pretty up in the air for everyone right now, thanks to COVID-19. It’s a challenging time in general, but it can be more challenging if you’re not even allowed to leave your home.What we do know is that most vulnerable groups are the members we serve, so it’s encouraged to be as isolated as possible. But how can we keep them engaged?
There are so many apps that can help seniors pass the time and even explore the world around them. Here are five apps we recommend:
Elevate Brain Training
“As we age, each of us becomes concerned that our memory will start to cause problems in our everyday lives,” says Dr. Ernest Brown, house call physician of Doctors to You. Dr. Jerry Bauer of the Neurosciences Institute at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital asserts that in order to “maintain active and strong nerve connections in the brain and improve how they communicate with each other,” we must remain active. Exercising this complex network of neurons in your brain can increase memory function and could potentially keep dementia at bay. The Elevate app uses math, memory, and word games to improve various skills such as reading comprehension, listening, writing and speaking.
Lumosity
So much time at home doesn’t just make you feel lonely, it can also make you feel bored. But one great app to help stimulate the mind is Lumosity. Lumosity is an older, but still popular alternative to Elevate offers games geared toward improving your memory, sharpening your focus and other mental benefits. Work your way through puzzles, do some math, do some problem-solving and more.According to Lumosity’s Director of Communications, “Lumosity is based on the science of neuroplasticity, the idea that the brain can change and reorganize itself given the right kinds of challenges.”
Fit Brains
Developed by Rosetta Stone, Fit Brains features more than 360 games and training functions for memory, concentration and more. A scoring system allows users to see how they perform relative to others of the same age and gender.
Brain Yoga
Brain Yoga distinguishes itself in that rather than using a number-based scoring system, the app uses a free-play approach to encourage brain training without the stress or competition of achieving a score. (It also happens to be the only totally free app on this list.) Games include memory, pattern recognition, shapes and more.
Eidetic
The benefit of Eidetic is that it trains users to remember real-life information such as phone numbers, lists, notes and more, which is all entered into the app by the user and then developed into a series of flashcards. Users can also determine how quickly they want to memorize something and Eidetic customizes its approach accordingly.