ElderGames - Computerized Games Encourage Mental Sharpness, Socialization, and Can Alert Caregivers to Developing Problems
European researchers have built a
computerized play platform for elderly people: ElderGames. Field
testing shows that the system keeps elderly players mentally sharp,
stimulates socialization, and can alert caregivers to developing
problems. The ElderGames team put a great deal of effort into
identifying and developing games that seniors would find interesting,
that would stimulate socialization, and that would challenge
important cognitive skills. The result is a suite of 20 games that
seniors or caregivers can select, which together exercise all of the
targeted skills. In addition, the researchers developed software
that tracks the functioning of each player over time, with the aim of
providing caregivers with an early warning of potentially serious
cognitive changes.