Did you know that playing board games is associated with a reduced risk of dementia? Until a few years ago, neither did we! Research shows that participating in cognitively demanding leisure activities in late life may provide protection against this disease as well as Alzheimer's1, 2, 3.
Dr. Kaleb Michaud, Professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Director of the nonprofit Spielbound.org spoke with Mike Hogan on “Live & Local” about the impact of games like Yahtzee, Boggle, Scrabble, Uno, and so many others on the continued cognitive function of the brain. He also talked about how Spielbound helps adults stay sharp through playing games through their Stay Sharp initiative that allows people to learn new games and to teach others old favorites.
They partner with local senior communities and universities to provide gaming opportunities at Spielbound and across the greater Omaha area. Also, memberships to the game library are discounted for teachers and seniors (age 55+).
Stay Sharp advocates for equal accessibility. Stay Sharp has developed educational materials on how to adapt games based on cognitive and physical dysfunction. The Stay Sharp committee advocates for reasonable accommodations to promote universal game design to game publishers. Several of the Stay Sharp committee members have a background in rehabilitation sciences, with a primary focus on gerontology and healthy aging.
If you are interested in hosting an event or would like Stay Sharp to provide an educational presentation on the therapeutic benefits of geriatric gaming please contact kaitlyn@spielbound.org or go to the website http://www.spielbound.org/stay-sharp.
