Money Management: Serious Games for the Elderly

Introduction

People live in communities in constant change, subject to various and rapid technological innovations with applicability in various domains. The improvement in quality of life and health care has contributed to the longevity of people around the world and, consequently, the ageing of populations.

The phenomenon of ageing is characterized by structural and functional changes in various body systems, with implications for functionality and quality of life, which may limit independence and performance in carrying out activities of daily living and social participation (Fontaine, 2000; López-Otín et al, 2013; Divo et al, 2014). However, the changes associated with ageing are not expressed at the same time in life in all individuals. On a singular level, several factors – physical, psychological, and cognitive problems associated with external, environmental, social, professional, and economic factors – may influence it (Firmino et al, 2014). As ageing is a biological stage in which it is important to live with quality and dignity, cognitive stimulation is one of the activities that is often implicit in healthy and pathological ageing, with a focus on dementia. This reflects that lack of cognitive activity leads to cognitive loss (Woods et al, 2012). Cognitive deficits will limit the elderly in their decisions, and consequently, lower their self-esteem. On the other hand, the loss of autonomy, associated with these deficits and loss of mobility, also contribute to the decrease in self-esteem of the elderly (Firmino et al, 2014). In this context, it is understood that one of the great challenges is focused on screening and early diagnosis of cognitive decline.

To promote the maintenance of the elderly for as long as possible in their respective communities, it is a priority to provide conditions and provision of multimodal care by formal and informal caregivers, whether the latter is a family member or not. Elderly people and their caregivers are often advised to do mental exercises to help delay the decline in memory and reasoning common at this stage of the life cycle. Nevertheless, this type of cognitive stimulation aimed at stimulating reasoning and memory can involve a panoply of activities such as word games, puzzles, music, and practical everyday activities such as cooking and gardening (Woods et al, 2012).

With the increasing technological influence in everyday life, today's societies are becoming digital societies, in which attention is increasingly directed towards new technologies (Barbosa et al, 2017). However, if people live in a society that is constantly evolving technologically, how can cognitive stimulation tools possibly keep up with this evolution? Could these methodologies not be more active, and transformed into games/digital applications, associated with the use of information and communication technologies?

In this sense, the objective of this chapter was to characterize demographic ageing, particularly in Portugal, as well as the main challenges associated with this worldwide phenomenon, with a focus on cognitive decline. In this context, the authors highlight the importance of basic and instrumental activities of daily living, which allow the assessment of independence or degree of dependence in different areas of daily life. By reviewing the bibliography, the authors searched for what serious games existed, sought to understand the impact of their use in this segment of the population, and to find out in which domains they are developed. Finally, some recommendations are made about the possibility of working with the elderly in the field of money management, aiming to contribute to the maintenance of functionality in their daily lives. This is an area related to other aspects of a person's life, such as shopping and taking public transport. By remaining independent in these activities, functioning in these areas, and being integrated in their environment, the older person will surely have an active and healthy ageing throughout life.