Memory Care Fairfield: How Daily Activities Can Support Brain Function

Finding the best memory care Fairfield can offer means understanding why daily activities are important. Focus on dementia-friendly activities to provide cognitive engagement for seniors safely and comfortably. Creative hobbies, light physical exercise, and socializing are all ideal.

How are you managing your mental health in your senior years? According to the Alzheimer's Association, over 7 million Americans are battling Alzheimer's and Dementia symptoms. How can you focus on cognitive engagement to keep your mind strong?

Iowa is the perfect area to live out your golden years if you're focused on your cognitive and mental health. Our homely city is applauded for our diversity, multicultural community, and our rich art culture. Whether you're here for our historic downtown or our well-beloved architecture, we're happy to have you!

If you're curious about enrichment in memory care, we're here to help. Read on to learn more about brain health routines and how we can work to keep our cognitive abilities shining.

Why Does Staying Active Matter?

Staying active in our senior years can become increasingly difficult. Many of us are battling physical symptoms on top of the cognitive decline that dementia forces on us.

While that can make it feel hopeless or difficult to interact with cognitive engagement for seniors, staying active is paramount to our enrichment in memory care programs. The trick is to find healthy, enjoyable, dementia-friendly activities that feel like leisure rather than fitness.

Staying physically active is proven to help our cognitive and emotional wellness. According to the Massachusetts Councils on Aging, staying physically active will improve our overall health, independence, and quality of life.

But there's more to it than physical activity. Even something as leisurely as reading, listening to music, or painting will help to keep your mind engaged. These are core strategies in Fairfield senior care when designing our top-of-the-line brain health routines.

Boosting Brain Function

How do we get started on our cognitive engagement for seniors? When you're with the best memory care Fairfield has to offer, we have plenty of options! Here are some of the ways we recommend staying active and healthy.

Physical Activities

Physical activities are one of the first things we'll look at. Staying physically active is crucial for our overall health, but it's also one of the most challenging things.

Before you do anything, speak to your doctor about what sort of exercises are healthy and plausible for you to do. Dementia-friendly activities are typically low in intensity, repeatable, and low-energy. Some examples include:

Leisurely nature walks
Seated exercises
Engaging with exercise classes
Socializing with your community members

Cognitive Stimulation

Cognitive engagement for seniors ultimately focuses on cognitive stimulation. But we aren't talking about quizzes, tests, and classes.

Instead, we focus on light, low-energy stimulation that falls more in line with entertainment. Taking the time to complete a morning crossword puzzle, do a round of Sudoku, or play board games with your community members is often all this takes!

Still, brain health routines may have more "intense" cognitive engagement. Some examples may include:

Learning a new language
Watching educational programs
Reading "difficult" books
Practicing vocal and written communication

Social and Emotional Wellness

Did you know that your social wellness is tied closely to your emotional and cognitive wellness? Isolation and loneliness are two of the biggest issues for seniors. Studies from the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation have shown that roughly 1 in every 3 seniors deals with loneliness or isolation at some point.

Battling these feelings is crucial to the wholesome cognitive engagement we offer. Our memory care support program focuses on helping you stay social and engaged with your community to help keep your mind and heart engaged.

Staying Creative

Finally, what sort of hobbies do you have in your daily routines? Taking time in the morning to do a puzzle is great, but what else are you adding to your routine?

Take the time to schedule a creative hobby in your day. Having an hour set aside to journal or play an instrument will help your mind feel comfortable in the routine. You'll also get the many benefits of engaging in a creative piece!

Frequently Asked Questions

What Activities Are Safe for Dementia?

Everyone's dementia symptoms can manifest differently, so we urge you to customize activities based on the senior. Taking a list of activities and assuming they fit any seniors can cause confusion, threats, and even physical injuries.

For some good activities that are generally safe, we recommend:

Walking in nature with a group
Visiting local historical and cultural sites with a caretaker
Light aerobic exercise with a fitness instructor
Reading, writing, and other creative-centric hobbies

Our memory care program is proud to help you find the best hobbies and interests for your cognitive health. Speak to our highly-trained staff to discuss what activities will work best for you.

What Activities Most Stimulate Our Minds?

Cognitive stimulation is paramount to keeping your mind healthy while battling dementia. One of the best activities is simply reading! Studies from the National Institutes of Health show that reading provides protection for cognitive function in later life.

Other hobbies that engage your mind may include journaling, painting, or knitting. We also love to focus on puzzles of all sorts, from jigsaws and word searches to daily word games. Doing so helps to keep your mind active and searching for solutions!

The Best Memory Care Fairfield Offers

Finding the best memory care Fairfield offers means understanding what your body and mind need most out of memory care. Speak to your doctor about customizing a care plan to help avoid your condition worsening while embracing your new limitations. Working to keep your mind active and engaged through creative hobbies and physical activities will also help to keep your mind strong.

Here at Addington Place of Fairfield, we know that there's more to staying healthy and happy than managing a list of symptoms. We're proud to provide our community with the resources and aid needed to provide comfort during our golden years. Our community's efforts have earned us the distinction of ranking #1 in Customer Satisfaction Among Assisted Living & Memory Care Communities in the JD. Power 2025 U.S. Senior Living Satisfaction Study.