Advancing digital cognitive rehabilitation: the role of adaptive serious games in enhancing elderly cognitive health

As individuals age, cognitive decline increases the cognitive load, adversely affecting their ability to perform daily activities. Recently, serious games have emerged as practical digital rehabilitation tools to mitigate cognitive load in older adults. These games are categorised into task-oriented, adaptive, and multimodal types. However, comparative research evaluating the effectiveness of these categories in reducing cognitive load and enhancing cognitive function remains limited. This study systematically compares task-oriented, adaptive, and multimodal serious games to assess their impact on cognitive load and cognitive functions in elderly participants. A comprehensive evaluation indicates that adaptive serious games significantly enhance cognitive indicators, including working memory, attention, and executive functions. These findings highlight the superior potential of adaptive serious games in advancing digital cognitive rehabilitation. Furthermore, the study provides valuable insights for the design of personalised and effective cognitive rehabilitation tools tailored to the needs of the elderly population.