Boost Brain Power During American Crossword Puzzle Week

March 31 – April 2 is American Crossword Puzzles Week. Crossword puzzles are great for all ages and are a wonderful way to boost brain health. They offer seniors a great way to engage and be entertained. Here are a few things to know about crossword puzzles and how companion care at home and seniors can enjoy some puzzling fun.

Fun Crossword Puzzle Facts

Did you know crossword puzzles have been around been around since the 1800s? That is when they first started to appear in Europe. Yet, it wasn’t until the early 1900s that the first crossword puzzles were published so that anyone could try them. The first puzzles were diamond-shaped and didn’t become more square-shaped until later in history. Finally, a cruciverbalist is the name for a person who enjoys crossword puzzles. The word comes from the Latin words crux (cross), verbum (word), and the English suffix -alist.

How Crossword Puzzles Boost Brain Health in the Elderly

Keeping the brain sharp is an important part of sustaining brain health in the elderly. Just like the other muscles of the body need exercise to stay strong, the brain does as well. Crossword puzzles are a great way for your elderly loved one to keep her brain strong and provide it with some excellent exercise.

• They increase language knowledge. You’re loved one may not know the answer right away to what the word is for an avid crossword puzzle player, but with research will discover a new word that helps boost her vocabulary.
• They require creative problem-solving. Crossword puzzles often give clues in riddles, making the person think out of the box for answers.
• They boost memory skills by asking questions that require your loved one to remember certain events, famous people, or names of rare items.

Four Ways for Your Elderly Loved One To Celebrate American Crossword Puzzle Week

While crossword puzzles can often be done alone and that is one of the benefits of them, your loved one can also have fun celebrating the week with someone like her companion care at home provider. Companion care at home providers can be a great resource for helping your loved one feel connected and help her celebrate fun events like American Crossword Puzzle Week. Here are four ways they can celebrate.

• Have a crossword puzzle race. Your loved one can compete with others to see who can complete a crossword the quickest. It can be done by easily making a Xerox copy of the weekly newspaper crossword puzzle or finding online crossword puzzle competitions.
• Create a crossword puzzle for someone else to complete. Your loved one’s companion care at home provider can help her create her crossword puzzle for friends and family to complete. It can be fun to create a puzzle based on clues only family members will know (ie: what is grandma’s favorite cookie or where did Uncle Joe and Aunt Sue get married).
• Gather friends to do crosswords together. Your loved one might enjoy an excuse to have some friends over for a fun night of completing some crossword puzzles and enjoying each other’s company. They can each complete their own puzzle or do it as a group with one person reading the questions out loud and everyone contributing answers to the questions.
• Find new puzzles to enjoy. If your loved one always does the newspaper crossword puzzle, help her discover online puzzles or buy some books she can take with her while she’s traveling or waiting in long lines.

Source
https://nationaltoday.com/american-crossword-puzzles-week/

If you or an aging loved one are considering companion care at home in Brooklyn, NY, please contact the caring staff at Touching Hearts at Home – Manhattan, Brooklyn, Westchester, Queens, Rockland today. 646-480-6266