If your senior loved one has a stroke, it’s reasonable to expect that his or her cognitive abilities will change. For the most part, reasoning and memory skills get better over time, but it does take work to regain these abilities. The following cognitive exercises can be done at home to help your loved one supplement his or her prescribed therapy program.
Speech Therapy Apps
Changes in the ability to speak can sometimes be related to issues with cognitive abilities. For instance, your loved one must rely on memory to put together the right words to describe his or her wants and needs. Speech therapy apps strengthen skills such as vocabulary recall and comprehension that also affect the ability to think and reason properly.
Certain age-related conditions can make it more challenging for seniors to age in place safely and comfortably, but Clearwater live-in care experts are available around the clock to help seniors manage their health. Whether your loved one is living with dementia or is recovering from a stroke, you can trust the professional live-in caregivers from Home Care Assistance to enhance his or her quality of life.
Puzzles
Puzzles are among the best tools you can use to exercise your loved one’s cognitive abilities. A basic jigsaw puzzle can help your loved one develop spatial awareness and problem-solving skills. Word puzzles can strengthen the ability to comprehend written language, and handheld puzzles develop focus. You can also choose puzzles that range from beginner to advanced levels, which helps you give your loved one just the right amount of challenge.
A professional caregiver can be a wonderful puzzle-solving companion for a senior recovering from a stroke. Seniors can face a variety of age-related challenges. Though some families choose to take on the caregiving duties, there may come a time when they need a trusted elderly home care provider. Families sometimes need respite from their duties so they can focus on their other responsibilities, and some seniors need around-the-clock assistance that their families are not able to provide. Home Care Assistance is here to help.
Following Procedures
The ability to follow a set of steps to accomplish a task requires using several different cognitive skills, such as procedural memory. Start with simple procedures, such as brushing the teeth or putting on shoes. You can also use a basic recipe with only a few steps to help your loved one start working on the ability to perform procedures. Gradually, you can add more steps and less assistance until he or she can do many things independently.
Memory Games
Your loved one needs to use memory to perform many tasks that require executive functioning. You can play the classic game Concentration with generic pictures, or you can make a personalized set of cards using images that matter to your loved one, such as pictures of friends and family members. Memory games can also involve more than just a set of cards. Try creating a short list of words and have your loved one try to memorize them within a certain time. You can then increase the number of words you include until he or she can memorize quite a few.
Music Therapy
Music stimulates neural pathways in the brain that affect cognitive abilities. When your loved one needs a more relaxing form of cognitive exercise, turn on a favorite song to see if he or she can sing along. Remembering lyrics helps with memory, and your loved one can also enhance his or her language abilities by singing. You can also select songs that specifically help your loved one relax and concentrate to further develop the ability to focus on information from the environment.
A professional caregiver can be a wonderful source of support for a senior recovering from a stroke. If your elderly loved one needs help maintaining a high quality of life while aging in place, reach out to Home Care Assistance, a trusted provider of Clearwater Home Care. Our caregivers provide transportation to and from medical appointments and social events, nutritious meal preparation, assistance with daily exercise, and help with everyday tasks like bathing, grooming, and light housekeeping. To schedule a free in-home consultation, give us a call at (727) 330-7862 today.