Playing Board Games In Old Age May Help Keep Memory Intact, Finds New Study

Almost 40% of individuals over the age of 65 suffer from some kind of memory loss. As one gets older, several changes occur in all body parts including the brain and therefore, forgetfulness can be a normal part of the aging process.

Older people find it difficult to learn new things, remember new information and sometimes tend to lose or misplace their belongings. Also, aging makes one more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease and other kinds of dementia which causes a steady decline in memory as well as mental function.

A new study has reported that playing board games can help the elderly population remember better. It states that elderly individuals who regularly played board games including chess or bingo were more likely to keep their memories intact and their thinking abilities retained.

The researchers from the University of Edinburgh Academics evaluated 1091 individuals who were born in the year 1939. Their general cognitive functions of the participants were noted at the age of 11 and 70 years, following which a series of cognitive tests were conducted at the age of 70, 73, 76 and 79 respectively.

The participants were asked how often they participated in activities like chess, playing cards, crossword puzzles, and bingo during the age of 70 and 76. The findings of the study could help determine the kind of activities that could help improve cognitive abilities in the elderly population.

“The research restricts the type of activities that could help keep people in a state of aging," said Professor Ian Deary, Director of the Center For Cognitive Aging and Cognitive Epidemiology. "It would be good to know if some of these games are more powerful than others.” He also pointed out that several other aspects such as not smoking and remaining physically active are related to better cognition in aged individuals.

The study also conveys the following:

• The decline of cognitive skills in old age need not be inevitable.
• The link between taking part in board games and better cognitive aging hints towards other steps that can be taken to protect our cognition such as consuming a healthy diet, staying physically active and moderate alcohol consumption.