At our Lady-Links visits with our dear friends, those ladies in various stages of cognitive decline, we’ve found that playing cards is a great way to stay mentally and socially active. Mixing a brain-stimulating activity with love and laughter has many benefits, both for our dear friends and for the Lady-Links.
When we play card games, we focus on the fun of the game. We play by the rules but we don’t make winning the priority. Winning simply means that you start the next round of play.
What we do focus on are the connections to benefits that playing card games such as Uno can bring:
- Social Connections
- Memory Connections
- Brain-stimulating Connections
SOCIAL CONNECTIONS
- Fun with friends as we enjoy a pleasant activity together.
- An outlet for promoting conversation.
MEMORY CONNECTIONS
- Reminiscing about who taught us to play cards when we were children. (A grandmother is the most common answer.)
- First card game we learned. (Battle/War or Go Fish are two popular answers.)
- Holding, dealing, shuffling and playing the cards usually jogs a related memory.
BRAIN-STIMULATING CONNECTIONS
- Keeps the mind active.
- Boosts concentration.
- Promotes hand-eye coordination and tactile stimulation.
- Improves recall of numbers and colors, direction of play, and rules.
Enjoying a card game with our dear friends is a delightful way to spend time together, plus the benefits are plentiful. With lots of added love and laughter, this makes for a positive interaction for everyone involved.
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