Engaging in leisure activities that stimulate your brain may help you lead a longer, healthier life. These activities can even help prevent
disorders like dementia, including Alzheimers disease.
A recent study showed that elderly people who did crossword puzzles four times a week or more had a markedly (47 percent)
decreased risk of dementia than those who did these puzzles once a week or less.
There is probably nothing magic about crossword puzzles per se. Probably, the benefits of remaining mentally active is the key take
home message of this finding. Playing other games, or doing activities that require knowledge, concentration, and keeping track of the
sequence of things is probably just as good.
disorders like dementia, including Alzheimers disease.
- Do Crossword puzzles
- Play Scrabble
- Play chess, checkers, cards or bingo
- Memorize a vocabulary word daily. Make a point of using the daily word in your conversation. One fun way to do this is to
subscribe to the word of the day service, provided by dictionary.com for free, in which a vocabulary word is sent to your email
every day. - Participate in some other mentally challenging games to sharpen your wits.
A recent study showed that elderly people who did crossword puzzles four times a week or more had a markedly (47 percent)
decreased risk of dementia than those who did these puzzles once a week or less.
There is probably nothing magic about crossword puzzles per se. Probably, the benefits of remaining mentally active is the key take
home message of this finding. Playing other games, or doing activities that require knowledge, concentration, and keeping track of the
sequence of things is probably just as good.
Mental Floss-Exercises for the Brain
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from Living Older, Living Better! by Katrina Gwinn, MD
Also, below are a couple of puzzles and games that you can access online, and play on your
computer. If you click on the Link with the Title of the puzzle, below, it will bring you to a page where
the whole puzzle can be played. Try it, and Good Luck! Note: If you don't see the puzzles below,
then click your "refresh" button on your browser toolbar (it looks like two curved arrows). Or
you may have to enable "pop up" browsers for this.
computer. If you click on the Link with the Title of the puzzle, below, it will bring you to a page where
the whole puzzle can be played. Try it, and Good Luck! Note: If you don't see the puzzles below,
then click your "refresh" button on your browser toolbar (it looks like two curved arrows). Or
you may have to enable "pop up" browsers for this.
Hold your mouse
over the words
"Crossword of the
Day" and CLICK
to get to play the
puzzle!
over the words
"Crossword of the
Day" and CLICK
to get to play the
puzzle!
Hold your mouse
over the word
"Suduko" and
CLICK to get to
play the puzzle!
over the word
"Suduko" and
CLICK to get to
play the puzzle!
There are several good games and puzzles at the following link:
- AARP Online Games and Puzzles at http://www.aarp.org/games/
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