Everyone, regardless of age, requires to be both physically, emotionally and intellectually stimulated on a regular basis, with the latter becoming even more important as the person ages. 

If yourself, your family member or a close friend is living on their own, or else are spending the majority of their time caring for their partner, then it is more important than ever to ensure intellectual stimulation is part and parcel of every single day. 

With this in mind, continue reading to discover the importance of intellectual stimulation and activities for the elderly. 

What Exactly Does Intellectual Stimulation Provide?

Generally, and it is exceedingly important to point out that is only a broad generalization, elderly men and women tend not to be as physically active as they were when they were younger and it is well known that it is important to encourage physical activity, at least in small amounts, every single day. 

However, with their days perhaps not quite as busy and their social interactions perhaps decreasing in frequency, in the vast majority of cases, elderly people are not as emotionally and intellectually stimulated as they were before. 

Essentially, intellectual stimulation results in the challenging of one’s mind, thoughts and behaviors, a way to engage and interact with other people, an upsurge in excitement, motivation and creativity, and a way to build problem-solving and critical thinking skills. 

Intellectual Stimulation in Senior Living Communities 

If you have recently, are considering or have already been living in senior living or assisted living facilities for a while, one fantastic way of ensuring you regularly expose yourself to intellectual and emotional stimulation is to involve yourself in one or more of the wide plethora of activities, events, hobby classes and excursions. 

Older adults who reside in prestigious and established senior living communities, such as New York senior living residents, are exposed to all manner of exciting and stimulating activities. This could be reading clubs, games nights and talks from art, watching television while using TV headphones for elderly, music and cinema professionals. 

Senior living communities offer a range of other excursions and activities, including swimming classes and trips, yoga and chair yoga, art gallery tours, museum visits, shopping mall trips, meditation classes and Tai chi. 

Intellectual Stimulation in The Home

If you or your loved one has always been somewhat of a self-described obsessive reader, ensure to keep up this passion by devouring new books that pique your interest. Reading is especially beneficial towards the end of the day and reading in bed has been scientifically proven to increase the quality and duration of sleep patterns. 

Other ways to ensure an older adult is as active, engaged and motivated as ever through the provision and encouragement of intellectual stimulation include, but are categorically in no way limited to:

• Jigsaw puzzles
• Crosswords, wordsearches and Sudoku puzzles
• DVD boxsets of old favorites
• Cooking and baking
• Gardening 
• Yoga or Pilates
• Tablet or smartphone gaming
• Zoom video calls with family and friends
• Learning to play a musical instrument