A new board game night in Niagara-on-the-Lake is aiming to help seniors stay mentally active — and have some fun along the way.

The initiative, launched by local resident John Hale, invites older adults to gather twice a week at Sweets & Swirls Cafe in the Niagara-on-the-Lake Community Centre for casual games designed to keep the brain engaged and encourage social connection.

Hale said the idea was inspired by a personal experience with dementia after visiting his mother-in-law in England.

“It’s a horrible illness. It really is,” he said.

“When I went to see my mom, she didn’t recognize me for the first 30 minutes, and then the spark came on, ‘Oh, John, what are you doing here?’” he said. Ten minutes later, she forgot again.

On the flight home, Hale said he read a newspaper article that suggested playing board games can help maintain cognitive health in people over 60 — and decided to act on it.

“So I thought, why not try and set up a games club here in Niagara-on-the-Lake to help people stave off any cognitive decline,” he said — and have a little fun in the process.

The sessions will run Monday and Friday afternoons starting April 17, from 1:30 to 4 p.m., during “quieter hours” at the cafe.

The format is intentionally informal. There is no cost to participate and no need to register — participants can simply drop in, play and leave whenever they like.

“Anybody that wants to come and play, they’re very, very welcome,” Hale said.

“Just walk in, come sit down, play. If you lose and you want to go home, that’s fine. If you win and you want to go home and celebrate, that’s absolutely fine as well.”

Hale will supply a range of games, from chess and cards to his favourite games like cribbage, Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit.

He said even a small turnout can make the program worthwhile.

“I don’t know how many people we’re going to get, but if I only get one more person, we can play chess, we can play Jenga, we can play cards, we can play whatever,” he said.

“It only takes one other person — and it helps me.”

He added the initiative is as much for himself as it is for others.

“It’s my cognitive decline that I want to stop,” he said. “And if I can (do the same) for everybody else that’s playing, great.”

Hale, who has lived in Niagara-on-the-Lake for about 12 years, said he hopes the community will embrace the idea and help it grow over time.

“I’ll just keep bringing them down,” he said. “And then, if I’m ever not here for any reason … I’ll have somebody else that brings them down. So it keeps going.”

Residents interested in joining can attend starting April 17, with sessions continuing weekly on Mondays and Fridays.