Patient advocate: Games seniors play may help them stay sharp

Did you get together over the holidays and play games with your family? It was certainly a good time to do it, and those games may help keep brain synapses firing — especially for seniors. Admittedly, the research isn’t definitive, but some of the results have been tantalizing.

A 2022 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that people with mild memory problems who did web-based crossword puzzles showed improvement in cognition and experienced less brain shrinkage, compared to those who played web-based cognitive (brain training) games. The improvement was equivalent to what the FDA requires medications to show.

A lot of the research involves people playing digital games because those are easier to measure. But researchers are also finding that board-game players not only experience better brain health, they also get a serotonin boost from the social aspects of playing.

I find that true when I play my favorite games, Sequence, Farkle and Spinner.

Another benefit is that game pieces (like Scrabble tiles and Monopoly tokens) strengthen touching sensation and hand flexibility, Chinese researchers found.

Backgammon, a game that’s been around since time immemorial, has emerged as one of those synapse-firing games that’s finding new audiences, especially among seniors. Jack Schacht, an entrepreneurial senior who lives in Naperville, is a longtime player who is starting up the Chicago Backgammon League (chicagobackgammon.com) in early 2026.

After selling his first company in 1974, Jack noticed that backgammon was quickly becoming a favorite pastime among young adults and decided to learn the game. He launched a network of backgammon clubs throughout the Chicago area. The trend faded, though, and Jack went on to other pursuits.

Five decades later, he and a fellow enthusiast Jill Murphy are back with the Chicago Backgammon League.

“Board games, such as backgammon and chess, help people of all ages improve their memory and practice basic cognitive skills such as strategy and problem solving,” Jack says. “It’s also a two-player game, which encourages social interaction.”

And as we do know, isolation is one of the factors that can accelerate cognitive loss because the brain isn’t being stimulated by those feel-good chemicals, like serotonin and endorphins.

Jack also points out that backgammon and games like it are helpful in bridging generations. Think about sitting down with your teens, parents or grandparents for a game of backgammon, Scrabble or checkers while you’re together. He plans to introduce club nights for teens and singles as well with free introductory learning sessions.

These games also have the benefit of being relatively easy for beginners while offering complexity for more advanced players. One thing that doesn’t help, however, is cut-throat competition. The player who delights in building hotels on Park Place and Boardwalk and bankrupting their opponents — not as much fun.

It’s been observed that different types of games and activities seem to offer different benefits:

• Bingo: Enhanced mood, reduced stress and emotional well-being through shared experience.

• Jigsaw puzzles: Visual-spatial acuity and hand dexterity.

• Crosswords and anagrams: Faster processing speed, better attention to detail and enhanced verbal learning.

• Checkers and backgammon: Executive functioning, problem-solving and quality of life.

When sitting down with seniors to play games, there are some accessibility considerations to ensure that everyone has a good time. For example, the lighting should be good, the seating arrangements comfortable and distractions (noise, music, TV) minimal.

I think it would also be important to limit game sessions to no more than 30 to 40 minutes. You can complete a game of checkers or backgammon in 15 to 20 minutes. The rate of cognitive return on marathon games won’t be as beneficial.

Also, be sure to laugh! Laughter is one of the main benefits of board games, and it does a lot to generate those feel-good chemicals.

Games people play can also be the games that keep us sharper through our senior years. Play a game or two this holiday season.

• Teri (Dreher) Frykenberg, R.N., a registered nurse and board-certified patient advocate, is the founder of www.NurseAdvocateEntrepreneur.com, which trains medical professionals to become successful private patient advocates. She is the author of “How to Be a Healthcare Advocate for Yourself & Your Loved Ones” and her new book, “Advocating Well: Strategies for Finding Strength and Understanding in Health Care,” available at Amazon.com. Contact her at Teri@NurseAdvocateEntrepreneur.com to set up a free phone consultation.