Did you know games can help increase your brain health? We think that’s pretty cool too! Keep reading to find out how...

5 Ways Games Can Increase Brain Health After Stroke

Written by guest writer and stroke survivor, Peter Evans

Did you know games can help increase your brain health? We think that’s pretty
cool too! Keep reading to find out how:

1. Games take us “out of our heads” and into recovery
Post-Stroke Depression(PSD), anxiety, and other mental health conditions are
common during stroke rehabilitation.
[https://strokefoundation.org.au/About-Stroke/Help-after-stroke/Stroke-resources-and-fact-sheets/Depression-and-anxiety-after-stroke-fact-sheet] 
Luckily, playing games has shown to be an effective way of taking us out of our
heads. This helps keep negative thinking, despair, and worrying at bay. Games
played with family or friends can be an especially helpful for promoting social
interaction, combating isolation and getting us “out of our heads,” so we can
focus on getting better.



2.	Games provide repetition without the monotony
Repetition, consistency and high levels of engagement are often cited as key
determinants in successful stroke rehabilitation. And, whether it’s picking up a
discard in gin rummy, laying down a seven-letter word in Scrabble, or reaching a
higher level in Candy Crush, all games require repetitive tasks and actions to
reach a larger goal. Hm, that sounds an awful lot like work... but it’s not!
Games by their nature are designed to keep us engaged, even entertained, while
we complete what might otherwise be a set of repetitive or boring tasks—all the
benefits of work without it feeling like, well, work! Repetition has been shown
to improve motor function an control after stroke, so why not do it in a fun and
engaging way?



3.	Games require active participation
During recovery, many stroke survivors find themselves with more time on their
hands than they’re used to. And, while watching a great science documentary or
listening to a classic audio book may seem like a worthwhile past time—and they
are— when it comes to increasing the brain’s neuroplasticity, activities that
require active participation are much more helpful. Games require us to show up,
pay attention and keep our head in the game. There are rules to learn and
master, strategies to test, tasks to conquer and progress to monitor.

4.	Games provide clear guidance and objective feedback
In addition to monotony, another common barrier to completing therapy exercises
is the confusion on which exercises to complete and how to correctly perform
them. Many games provide multiple metrics giving you confidence and more insight
into how you’re doing. It’s more than just wins versus losses. Games can provide
feedback on overall speed, accuracy, best play or most points per round.

5.	Games exercise multiple areas of the brain at once
With games you need to learn and remember the rules, track progress and manage
multiple tasks and strategies. These are all great activities for strengthening
your brain health after a stroke or other brain injury. Executive function, fine
motor skills, memory, concentration and planning are all areas of brain function
that are engaged while playing games. The more time a stroke survivor can spend
relearning how to simultaneously balance and manage multiple functional
activities, the faster and deeper the recovery can be. And Recovery is the name
of the game!



If a gamified approach to rehabilitation sounds exciting, get in touch with 
Neofect [http://www.neofect.com] to try out any one of their Neofect Smart
Rehab
tools [https://www.neofect.com/us]. Their products include the Smart Board, a
device for reach retraining, and the Smart Glove for improving forearm, wrist
and hand function. There’s even the the Smart Pegboard, which provides training
for fine motor control. All of the Smart Rehab tools harness the power of games
for recovery. To learn more, call (888) 623-8984 [tel:+18886238984] or email 
contactus@neofect.com.

Neuroplasticity

5 Ways Brain Games For Stroke Rehabilitation Can Increase Brain Health

Why You Should Exercise After a Stroke: A research concluded that 45 minutes to an hour of moderate-to-vigorous exercise was good for the brain.

Exercise after Stroke: for Brain Function and Mental Healthiness

Exercise can help you live longer and can lower your risk of stroke, diabetes,
and heart disease. After analyzing data from 1.2 million people in the United
States, a recent study found that those who exercised 45 minutes, three to five
times per week resulted in improved overall mental health as well. “Even just
walking three times a week seems to increase one's overall mental health,” said
Dr Adam Chekroud, a researcher of this project.



Why You Should Exercise After a Stroke
Another research study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine
revealed that aerobic exercises appear to improve a person’s cognitive function
and resistance training appears to enhance a person’s executive function and
memory. The research concluded that 45 minutes to an hour of
moderate-to-vigorous exercise was good for the brain.

With Exercises, Can the Brain Heal Itself after a Stroke?
Indeed, exercise can change the structure and function of the brain. Researchers
from New Mexico Highlands University found that when one is walking, the impact
that one's foot makes with the ground sends waves through the arteries which
increase blood flow to the brain. Blood flow to the brain assists with bringing
the brain oxygen and nutrients, which will help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s
disease, slow brain aging by 10 years, and improve the brain by creating new
brain cells. It also triggers the release of mood-enhancing chemical―
endorphins.



Stay Active After a Stroke
A research study that was conducted on 1.2 million people in the U.S. has found
that even doing something as simple as daily household chores can lower one's
chances of presenting with signs of poor mental health by 10% per month. The
research states that “exercise” can be considered physical activities, such as
childcare, housework, lawn-mowing, carpentry, fishing, and or yoga.

Get Some Help by Utilizing Smart Devices


By utilizing smart rehab devices, you can also shorten your road to recovery.
Neofect Home offers various stroke recovery programs
[https://www.neofect.com/us/smart-board] aiming to assist stroke survivors with
regaining independence with their activities of daily living. Neofect provides
gamified programs that focus on the active movement of the affected arm/hand.
With Neofect, patients can partake in motivating and fun rehabilitation through
various training games designed for improvements of active range of motion and
ability to control the affected arm/hand.

Neofect consists of an algorithm which automatically adjusts to the optimal
level of difficulty as you play to balance challenge and motivation. Neofect
adjusts the game's difficulty level in accordance with the user’s current
status, which allows personalized training. To learn more about Neofect smart
rehab devices, call (888) 623-8984 [tel:+18886238984] or email info@neofect.com.