According to Green (2017), a British study revealed that older adults who regularly did

crossword puzzles and engaged in reading had lower levels of cognitive decline than those who
did not regularly engage in these activities.
True
False

Older adults who participate in daily word and numerical puzzles have better brains, according
to the largest online poll to date.

In a study conducted in nursing homes in 2011, researchers discovered that combining puzzles
with physical activity, everyday life tasks, and a spiritual component such as singing a hymn or
discussing happiness for a period of twelve months prevented residents' cognitive abilities from
deteriorating. Over the course of a year, the other residents received normal care and exhibited
a decline in cognition. 

The more often seniors aged 50 and up played puzzles like crosswords and Sudoku, the better
their brain function, according to research performed by the University of Exeter and King's
College London. The findings were published in two pieces in the International Journal of
Geriatric Psychiatry. In 2018, the findings on word puzzles were presented at the Alzheimer's
Association International Conference. The new study builds on these findings by noticing the
same effect in persons who regularly solve numerical puzzles.

Participants in the PROTECT research, the world's largest online cohort of older persons, were
asked to record how much time they spent doing word and numerical puzzles, as well as taking
a set of cognitive tests that were sensitive to changes in brain function. They discovered that
the more puzzles people completed, the better they performed on concentration, reasoning,
and memory assessments.

Based on their findings, researchers estimate that persons who practice word puzzles have
brain capacity equal to ten years younger than their age on grammatical reasoning tests and
eight years younger on short-term memory tests.

Researchers discovered that people who completed crossword puzzles on a daily basis saw
significantly less memory loss than those who did not. When compared to those who did not
perform crossword puzzles, crossword puzzles delayed memory loss by two and a half years.

According to Dr Anne Corbett of the University of Exeter Medical School, the more people
interact with puzzles like crosswords and Sudoku, the sharper their output is across a number
of tasks testing memory, attention, and reasoning. The most notable increases are in their
output speed and accuracy. People who solve these puzzles on a daily basis replied as if they
were eight years younger on particular problem-solving tests than those who don't.

References

Iizuka, A., Suzuki, H., Ogawa, S., Kobayashi‐Cuya, K. E., Kobayashi, M., Takebayashi, T., &
Fujiwara, Y. (2019). Can cognitive leisure activity prevent cognitive decline in older adults? A
systematic review of intervention studies. Geriatrics & gerontology international, 19(6), 469-
482.

Fancourt, D., & Steptoe, A. (2018). Cultural engagement predicts changes in cognitive function
in older adults over a 10 year period: findings from the English Longitudinal Study of
Ageing. Scientific Reports, 8(1), 1-8.