Hobbies And Interests
Memory
Play the classic game of Memory. Get a simple memory game with tiles or cards which have two of each image and place them face down on a table. The first person flips over two cards or tiles. If it's a match they remove the cards and take another turn. If it's not a match, the following player takes a turn. Play continues until all cards have been matched. The winner is the person with the most paired matches. This sort of game helps an elderly person with his memory in relation to things in front of him instead of stored memory. This is most useful for elderly folks who find they are having short-term memory loss.
Trivia
Trivia is all about memory. Play trivia games such as Trivial Pursuit, Scene It or Smarty Party!. Make your own trivia by looking up random facts on a subject the elderly person knows a lot about, such as cars for a former auto mechanic or books for a former librarian. Use index cards to write the questions and answers. Create a one-on-one game, or create a trivia game based on a broad subject so several people can play.
Crossword Puzzles
Crossword puzzles force an elderly person to first make sense of the clue, then remember the answer for that clue. Crossword puzzles are heavy thinking games. For answers the person does not know, he must study the number of letters and letters already solved to figure out possible answers. This can stimulate the brain and jog one's memory.