Any Age. Any Game. Let Your Brain Play.

Did you know that playing board games is associated with a reduced risk of dementia? Until a few years ago, neither did we! Research shows that participating in cognitively demanding leisure activities in late life may provide protection against this disease as well as Alzheimer's1, 2, 3. Here at Spielbound we are determined to help adults stay sharp through playing games. We are developing programming through our Stay Sharp initiative that allows people to learn new games and to teach others old favorites. We are partnering with local senior communities and universities to provide gaming opportunities at Spielbound and across the greater Omaha area. Also, memberships to the game library are discounted for teachers and seniors (age 55+).

Community Outreach

Stay Sharp Approved Games

Connect 4 Dixit Sequence Spot It
Suspend Tenzi The Game Word Slam
Mancala No Thanks Jenga Yahtzee
Pass The Pigs Patchwork Tsuro Apples to apples
Anomia Scattergories Boggle Scrabble
Uno Parade

Game Accessibility and Adaptations

Committee members trained in activity analysis provide education on how to modify and adapt games for successful participation. Stay Sharp advocates for equal accessibility. Stay Sharp has developed educational materials on how to adapt games based on cognitive and physical dysfunction. The Stay Sharp committee advocates for reasonable accommodations to promote universal game design to game publishers

Stay Sharp believes that everyone should be afforded the opportunity to play games no matter physical or cognitive limitation. Several of the Stay Sharp committee members have a background in rehabilitation sciences, with a primary focus on gerontology and healthy aging. Committee members are working on advocating for more accessible game design to facilitate participation for all abilities. For specific cognitive adaptations during game play please contact [email protected] for recommendations. Listed below you will find common physical adaptations recommended.

Low Vision - Enlarged Cards

Low Vision - Enlarged Cards

Dexterity - Enlarge game pieces

Dexterity - Enlarge game pieces

One-handed - Card Holder

One-handed - Card Holder

Partner with Stay Sharp

If you are interested in hosting an event or would like Stay Sharp to provide an educational presentation on the therapeutic benefits of geriatric gaming please contact [email protected]

Further Reading

  1. Dartigues, J. F. et al. Playing board games, cognitive decline and dementia: a French population-based cohort study. BMJ Open 3, e002998 (2013). DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2013-002998
  2. Verghese, J. et al. Leisure Activities and the Risk of Dementia in the Elderly. N. Engl. J. Med. 348, 2508–2516 (2003). DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa022252
  3. Wilson, R. S. Participation in Cognitively Stimulating Activities and Risk of Incident Alzheimer Disease. JAMA 287, 742 (2002). DOI: 10.1001/jama.287.6.742