Cognitive stimulation programs can help maintain cognitive function and improve your loved one’s quality of life. An intervention for people with Alzheimer’s offering a range of enjoyable activities that provide general stimulation for thinking, concentration, and memory, usually in a social setting, can be effective. Crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, and Rubik’s Cube can help. Another option is learning or using a foreign language.
NPS can occur during the various stages of Alzheimer’s. The StrongerMemory program is designed for those in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and offers simple daily activities to engage working memory and stimulate brain activity. These methods have been shown to help stabilize or improve cognitive functions and are the most effective during the early- and mid-stages of the disease.
The program uses exercises of reading aloud, writing by hand, and doing simple math for ten minutes a day and at least five days a week. Participants in the program and their caregivers have reported that these exercises have made a difference in memory and cognitive ability.