Cognitive Stimulus: Simple Exercises That Work

In this article, we will take a closer look at some basic exercises for cognitive stimulation.

What we have learned about our brain in recent years is very valuable knowledge. First and foremost, we now know that the brain is elastic and that it is possible to change its structures. We also know that it has cognitive reserves that play a very important role when we face the threat of a neurodegenerative disorder. Therefore, today we will take a closer look at some simple but very effective exercises for cognitive stimulation.

To be able to do this, however, we must first explain the difference between stimuli, rehabilitation and cognitive training.

Different forms of cognitive therapy

• In the field of cognitive rehabilitation, we can include activities aimed at the restoration of damaged cognitive functions. These injuries can be caused by trauma, mild cognitive impairment or depression.
• Cognitive stimulation includes activities performed to delay any cognitive impairment.
• As a third form of cognitive therapy, we find cognitive training that consists of sets of activities that will optimize or simply preserve cognitive performance. It is a good way to prevent future cognitive impairment and improve cognitive reserves.

These three ways of working with our cognitive functions are a form of non-pharmacological intervention. It has been shown that by applying these strategies, one can improve their cognitive abilities, or at least slow down their gradual deterioration.

According to Jara (2007), older people with cognitive impairment can benefit from these strategies which can have a major impact on their quality of life.

Cognitive stimulation

Today, however, we need to focus on cognitive stimulation. According to Villalba and Espert (2014), this form of treatment has many benefits. It is pointed out, among other things, that it has no side effects and that it also does not involve any form of medication.

In addition, this form of treatment leads to a more personal contact with the therapist as well as with other people. This in turn has positive consequences for the patient’s behavior and improves their cognitive skills.

It is a form of activity that helps you practice already established skills and shows the patient how to best use the resources they already possess.

Finally, it is important to mention that cognitive stimuli are also often significantly cheaper than other alternatives.

We will now look at some simple exercises that you can do yourself in your own home. Exercises that have been shown to have very positive results.

Some simple key exercises for cognitive stimulation

There are a number of exercises you can do to stimulate your cognitive abilities. They range from classic activities that help us improve our attention and memory, to brain training that uses new technologically advanced aids.

Exercises for memory-related stimulation

• Photos and photographs. These elements allow us to work with short-term memory. First we look closely at the picture and then after a few minutes we will try to remember as many details as possible about the picture.

• Games as a memo, where we pair identical pictures after we have placed them with the picture side down, also helps us to  work with our memory.
• Finally, we can also work with glossaries that are read out by another person. You can find ready-made lists online, but you can also create your own if you prefer.

Activities to improve concentration

One way to train your concentration is to read various forms of texts aloud to yourself. You can either read these texts yourself or you can ask someone to read them for you. When you have finished reading, you should ask yourself or the person who has read the text specific questions about the text.

We can also work with pictures just as we did in the exercises to improve memory. But this time we will focus on the specific details of each image.

Activities that improve our ability to calculate and calculate

We can work with this feature in many different ways. One way to do this is to sort random numbers from the lowest to the highest and vice versa.

You can also do mental calculations. Start with simple calculations and gradually increase the difficulty.

Another way is to start with a high number and then gradually subtract specific numbers. For example, you can start with number 27 and then ask a person to subtract 3.

Activities related to orientation and awareness

When it comes to our orientation skills and our consciousness, you should work with three different areas: time, space and social circles. To improve general awareness – which is always important when a person begins to show signs of cognitive impairment – we can work with daily questions such as:

• What day, month or year is it?
• What season are we in?
• Different times of the day and activities we do at the different times (we eat breakfast in the morning, for example)
• Date of birth and age
• The place they live (city and street name)
• Their own name and name of family members

Cognitive stimulus: Link it to your own everyday life

All of these exercises will be far more effective if they are in some way related to our everyday lives. It is one thing to make to-do lists with the names of kings and historical figures, but far more effective if you instead use shopping lists to train your memory. And there are a number of exercises for cognitive stimulation where we can use daily chores and activities.

Of course, there are also experts out there who can help us. We can read a book or an article and try to familiarize ourselves with the available research, but when it comes down to it, it is people out there who have the education and experience that make them the most suitable to help us.

They can tell us how we should perform different activities and what goals we should set. They can help us choose the tools that will be most useful to us in our specific situation. In addition, they will often motivate us to continue working, even if we do not always see the result until several months or years later.