Aging with Grace: Break out the video games

Frogger was introduced in 1981. It’s a video game, one of the first to hit the mass market. The object of the game is to direct five frogs to their homes at the top of the screen by dodging traffic on a busy road, then crossing a river by jumping on floating logs, turtles and alligators. By jumping on swiftly moving logs and the backs of alligators and turtles, the player can guide the frog to safety, to home.

Frogger might not sound like a great way to engage seniors or improve memory and reduce risk of dependency. But a growing body of research is showing video games have a significant positive impact on cognition, memory and decreasing dependence.