Easy Card Games for Dementia Patients

According to a report from the Cochrane Library, mentally challenging activities may delay the worsening of symptoms in those with mild to moderate Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.

Easy-to-play card games for dementia patients can help your loved one engage their mind and encourage them to socialize with others. But how do you find games that won't agitate them?

At Ramsey Woods -- located in Cudahy, WI -- we know all about the importance of offering mentally and socially stimulating daily activities to our senior residents. We wanted to share some simple card games that create opportunities for interaction, encouragement, and connection with loved ones.

Keep reading to explore three of the best card games for dementia patients, each with a unique appeal.

Memory Match: Find the Pairs

Sometimes, you crave indoor activities for dementia patients that are challenging without the risk of becoming overstimulating. In this case, Memory Match has you covered.

Some refer to this game as "concentration," which is apt because concentration is the key to success in Memory Match. What makes it one of the best card games for memory care is how it allows you to exercise your visual recognition and short-term memory in a simple manner.

How to Play Memory Match

You can use a standard deck of cards and match only rank, not suit (e.g., match two Kings, regardless of the color and symbol). Feel free to buy themed decks or make your own cards.

Here's how to play a standard game of Memory Match:

Start with two players (or more if you're fine with longer wait times)
Shuffle your cards and place them face down in a grid
Take turns flipping over two cards at a time
Let players keep their matching pairs
Flip cards back over if they don't match
End the game when players find all matches
Give the win to the player with the most matching pairs

To make the game easier and shorter, you can get larger cards with clearer images. You can also arrange fewer cards on a smaller grid.

War: Leave It All to Chance

Among the differences between normal aging and dementia are difficulty communicating and mood swings, so you may wish to minimize your loved one's frustration by opting for a light, low-pressure activity. War is all about comparing randomly drawn cards, making it one of the gentlest cognitive games for dementia.

How to Play War

The suit of each card is irrelevant, as the card with the higher value wins each round. Ace is the card with the highest value. It's followed by King, Queen, Jack, and the numbered cards in descending order (ten to two).

Here's how to play a standard game of War:

Start with two players (or go up to four)
Set the joker cards aside
Shuffle a 52-card deck and deal it out evenly
Ensure that players don't look at their cards
Flip the top card of each player's deck at the same time
Give both cards to the player with the highest card in the round
Place the newly obtained cards face down at the bottom of the round winner's deck
Continue playing until one player obtains all of the cards in the deck

In case of a tie during a round, players go to "war" by each placing three cards from their deck face down on top of their tied card and then flipping a fourth card. The player with the highest card takes all ten cards, and the "war" is repeated if there's another tie.

Go Fish: Converse and Collect

To a certain extent, Go Fish is a game of chance, similar to War. However, it also exercises each player's working memory, which is often one of the first cognitive abilities to decline in Alzheimer's. Players have to hold and manipulate information about their own cards and those of others.

Beyond that, Go Fish's social aspect makes it one of the most fun games for seniors who feel isolated and crave interaction with others.

How to Play Go Fish

Avoid asking other players for cards of a specific suit. The goal is to collect books, which are four cards of the same rank (e.g., four Queens).

Here's how to play a standard game of Go Fish:

Start with two to five players
Shuffle a 52-card deck and give each player seven cards (or five if there are three or more players)
Form a "pool" of cards by placing the rest of the deck face down on the table
Have players take turns asking each other if they have a card of a specific rank
The asked player must hand over all cards of the requested rank to the asking player
The asking player should be told to "go fish" (draw a card) from the "pool" if the asked player doesn't possess the requested card rank
The asking player who's told to "go fish" must end their turn
The asking player who successfully obtains a card from another player gets another turn to ask any player again
Place down books for all to see when they're collected
Play until players collect all books or until a player runs out of cards
Give the win to the player with the most books

If you want to simplify the game, aim for pairs instead of books. You can also start with three cards instead of five.

Finding Stimulation Beyond Card Games for Dementia Patients

Although card games for dementia patients can help everyone have fun while sharpening their cognitive skills, there are countless other ways to keep patients mentally and socially engaged.

At Ramsey Woods, we offer a memory care community operated by trained caregivers. Our activity calendar is chock-full of activities, including the following:

Community outings
Color therapy
Educational classes
Mahjongg
Movie nights

We prioritize comfort, convenience, and privacy for our residents. Our stylish, pet-friendly suites have AC, WiFi, fridges, bathrooms, closets, and window coverings.

Are you ready to learn more about our senior living options? Contact us to schedule a tour of our community in Cudahy, WI.