Word games for assisted living residents

Palm Harbor families rely on our caregivers whenever they need time to rest, work, run errands, and even go on vacation. This game is similar to Scrabble, but many people find playing Upwords easier.

Players have the unique ability to stack new words on top of existing words. Seniors do not need to feel pressured to come up with long, difficult words. Instead, they can simply turn words like horse into house.

This allows them to play at a faster pace while still stimulating the brain and having fun. This game keeps the brain sharp and thinking skills intact. Rhyming Ball is a simple word game played in small or large groups.

Participants throw the ball to a player, who then must create a word. After the first word has been created, players continue throwing the ball to other participants who must rhyme every word thereafter. Words in Words is a game that keeps seniors entertained and exercises the brain.

This is a game your loved one can play online, which allows him or her to challenge and stimulate his or her brain using modern technology.

Aging adults may require assistance with playing word games and managing daily activities. But in some cases, residents may be younger and have mental illnesses , developmental disabilities , or certain medical conditions.

You must log in to post a comment. You must be logged in to post a comment. Skip to content Search for:. Facebook Copy. Kakuro : Fill out each white square of the puzzle with a number from one to nine so that the sums of the entries in each row or column match the clues associated with them. Scrabble : Outscore your opponents by strategically forming new words or adding to existing ones on a crossword-style board.

Boggle : Shake a tray of 16 letter dice and spot more words in the randomized grid of letters than your opponent does before the time runs out. Scattergories : Partner up and defeat the other teams by coming up with creative answers that all match a specific category, contain the same first letter, and won't be thought of by your opponents. Balderdash : Fool the other players by trying to make them believe that your fake answers or definitions represent the truth about things like obscure words, people, and movies.

Many nursing homes and assisted living communities regularly organize fun games that large groups of residents can participate in. The best activities directors try to keep things fresh by changing things up on a frequent basis.

In fact, most games in this category are homemade and just require an investment of time and creativity to pull together. You can put your own spin on any of them.

Plus, many of them can be used as fun party games for seniors or elderly residents who are celebrating birthdays or other milestones. Use the following examples as inspiration:. Bingo : Be the first player to match five numbers in a row or in another pattern in this popular game of chance. Smile Toss: Prepare to laugh when playing this great balloon game for seniors.

Draw a smiley face on a balloon. Sit in a circle with the other players. Have someone be in charge of playing some recorded music and stopping it at random times. As the music plays, pass the balloon around the circle to each other. If you're left holding the balloon when the music stops, you must try not to smile for at least 10 seconds. If you do smile, you'll have to leave the circle. The last person remaining wins the game. Pass out slips of paper and have everyone write down the best advice they ever received from their mom or dad.

Have the judge collect all the answers, read them out loud, and select the top three. Then get each of those three winners to write down the worst advice they ever received from either of their parents. Have the judge collect them, read them aloud, and select the final winner.

Fact or Fiction? Select five weird facts from the books, make up five other fake facts, and randomly number them from one to Pass out a sheet of paper to each player that is numbered from one to One by one, read each strange or fake fact out loud and ask the players to write down whether it is fact or fiction.

To determine the winner s , collect the sheets and find out who had the most correct guesses. The Price Is Right: Go to the store and buy four common, lower-priced items as well as four mid- to higher-priced items to use as prizes, being sure to write down their prices. Put everyone's name in a bowl. Draw four names to become the first contestants. Showcase your first item and have them each guess its price. The person who is closest to the actual price without going over is the winner of that round.

Draw another name from the bowl to replace that winner. Continue the process for the other common items until you have four winners. Then, have each of the four winners guess the total of the four higher-priced items to determine the final winner of those prizes. Photo Puzzle Race: Get large color prints on heavy stock of various photos, preferably of the people who will be playing the game.

Cut each of the photo prints into relatively small puzzle pieces. Split players up into different teams and have them compete to see which team can solve its puzzle the fastest. Name That Tune: Choose a selection of songs that will create feelings of nostalgia for the seniors who will be playing the game. Gather everyone together a day ahead of time to listen to each of the songs and to learn the artists and song titles.

On game day, start playing one of the songs, pausing the music after a few seconds. See if anyone can guess what it is. Keep playing and pausing the song until someone makes a correct guess. Do the same thing for the remaining songs. Give prizes to each of the winners. Year of Invention: Collect 10 everyday objects and find out when they were first invented.

Put them all on a table, numbered from one to Hand out sheets of paper that are numbered the same way and have each player write down the year they think each object was invented. Make sure that nobody has access to an Internet-enabled device. Score each player's sheet: six points for correctly guessing the exact year, three points for being within 50 years, or one point for being within years. The player with the highest point total wins the game. Don't overlook the benefits of physical games.

For seniors who still have good or decent mobility, getting outside can provide opportunities for enjoyable exercise that boosts overall health and well-being. For instance, many older adults who are in good shape enjoy playing games of tennis.

But you don't necessarily have to do something quite so active. Here are several other popular outdoor games:. Shuffleboard : Win by sliding your colored disks into the highest scoring zones and strategically knocking out the disks of your opponent. Pickleball : Outscore your opponent by using a solid paddle to hit a lightweight ball over a net while avoiding tennis-like faults. Bocce : Roll more of your balls closer to the target than your opponent. Water Balloon Toss : Partner with someone else and beat other teams by tossing a water balloon back and forth to each other over an increasing distance without breaking it.

Croquet : Be the first one to hit your balls against the center peg by knocking them through a six-hoop course in the proper sequence. Beach Ball Volley: Team up with someone else and try to keep a beach ball in the air longer than any other team as you volley it back and forth to each other over a distance that keeps growing.