In a quiet corner of the study room, the knight made its tentative move. Across the worn-out squares, the opposing queen eyed a subtle opportunity for checkmate on the rustic chess board. All orchestrated by a retired lawyer from Mumbai.
Meet Soumendra Ghosh, who has developed a newfound passion for chess. Having taken up the game in his late 60s, he initially viewed it as a simple pastime. Little did he know that this strategic game would play a key role in enriching his cognitive well-being.
As we age, maintaining cognitive health becomes increasingly important for a fulfilling and independent life. One innovative and enjoyable approach gaining traction is “mind play.” This involves engaging in games and puzzles designed to stimulate various cognitive domains.
Ghosh says, “Chess has become my daily mental exercise. It challenges me to think ahead, plan my moves, and anticipate my opponent’s strategies. It’s like a gym for my mind.”
According to him, his memory saw notable improvement. Remembering the positions of pieces, tracking the flow of the game, and recalling past strategies became second nature.
Like Ghosh, the transformative power of strategic games in the lives of older adults can act as a catalyst for cognitive growth. It can offer both mental stimulation and a fulfilling recreational outlet.
What is cognitive remediation?
According to Dr Sachin Baliga, consultant – psychiatry, Fortis Hospital, Bengaluru, gaming as an approach for improving cognitive health is based on the concept of cognitive remediation. In simple terms, when a task targeting a specific cognitive domain is done repetitively in a graded manner, it leads to an improvement in that domain.
Cognitive remediation is like a mental workout where the focus is on improving different brain skills by doing tasks over and over. These tasks target things like paying attention, remembering things, thinking quickly, and solving problems. The idea is that by making these basic brain functions better, we can also get better at everyday things in our lives.
Boosting brain power for real-life skills
For targeting the diverse Indian audience, accessibility – irrespective of the language or the educational background – becomes priority, says Dr Baliga. “Designing games that cater to a diverse audience, irrespective of language proficiency or education levels, ensures that older adults can enjoy a wide range of cognitive benefits.”
Whether in the form of physical, digital, or socially interactive games, the effectiveness of cognitive remediation through gaming is noteworthy. While no direct head-to-head comparisons exist, the more a game resembles real-world situations, the more likely it is to be effective, says Dr Baliga.
“Even though it is tough to measure how well someone can handle real-life tasks, we’ve seen that playing these games can make people better at paying attention, thinking quickly, and planning things,” says Arohi Singh, Chandigarh-based psychologist. It is like a positive side effect of having fun and challenging your brain.
Exercising the mind
Memory games for older adults play a major role in cognitive remediation. They target different cognitive aspects like long term memory, working memory, speed based on their design, according to Singh. Sequencing games, where players remember a sequence of objects, hone attention and working memory.
On the other hand, games requiring strategic tower-building with limited moves enhance thinking and planning skills. Gradually increasing difficulty levels in these games prove more effective than repetitive sequences. Occasional booster sessions help with enhanced working memory and increased problem-solving abilities. It also helps with better processing speed over time, according to Dr Baliga.
Other games like jigsaw puzzles offer a captivating mind exercise. “As players work to complete a puzzle, they engage in constant mental visualisation of the puzzle’s image and actively search for matching pieces,” says Singh. One of the benefits of this process could be that it enhances reasoning and processing speed. The cognitive benefits of jigsaw puzzles have been observed in follow-up analyses, with improvements lasting up to two years.
Mind play for older adults can be a great exercise for cognitive health and overall well-being, says Singh. Whether it is fitting puzzle pieces together or testing memory, these activities offer a holistic approach to cognitive remediation.
