Gathering around the dinner table for a good board game is a way to spend quality time with family members. Most families will concentrate on board games when the children are younger. For children, it can be critical to bring back game time for their parents. If your parents suffer from dementia symptoms, they may need around-the-clock care. One thing that you can do for your parents, in addition to arranging for dementia care, is institute game days where you play board games. Here are three ways that board games can help a parent going through dementia. 

Exercises memorization

Board games all have different types of rules. In order to play the game, your parent will have to remember and recall the rules of the game. Having to exercise their recall for the duration of a game or two will help your parents fight the memory loss that comes along with dementia. They may even develop systems for being able to recall the info, such as repeating the information or making the game rules "compact" for them. Learning memorization techniques will help your parent figure out how to deal with memorization in other parts of life. 

They have to interact

Playing a game is an excellent form of socialization. Those with dementia often find socializing to be difficult. This can be due to not being able to remember names as well as not being able to follow short term conversations due to memory. Playing a board game means that there must be interaction. Your parents will have to talk to the other members of the game, interact in ways that the game dictates, and follow in on conversations. Interaction can help fight off dementia and it can help give those around the patient an understanding on the patient's symptoms. 

Repetition helps

Many board games are repetitive in nature. Moving around the board happens in the same way and the cards or money that you deal with happens in the same way. Performing repetition as a rule can help your parent be able to help themselves while suffering from dementia. Getting into a routine of doing specific things to care for themselves each day by memorizing the routine can help them have some sense of independence. Playing different board games each week can get your parents used to memorizing different things, including phone numbers, addresses, and names. This can increase their safety despite having dementia. 

Click here for more information about caring for a parent with dementia.

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