Click on the images below and print some mentally challenging puzzles to share with your group this month. (The solutions are included.)

Tip: If you think the puzzle is too difficult, try giving clues or completing part of the puzzle, making it easier to solve.

Analogies

4 Concentration Puzzles
Another option: Each puzzle on a separate page

Change a Letter

Math Count Up 1 to 4

Sudoku

Wacky Wordies

Dr. Rob Winningham, Psychology and Gerontology Professor at Western Oregon University and widely recognized expert on cognitive stimulation, is partnering with Activity Connection to bring you a monthly brain stimulation activity.

This Month's Exercise

This month's exercise is called "Letter Symbols." Before doing the exercises, share Dr. Rob's brief explanation of Letter Symbols and why it is a good mental stimulation activity. (Knowing the "why" is always a good motivator for participants.)

Let us know if you are as excited about this new feature as we are and how your clients are enjoying the exercises.

Dr. Rob Winningham, nationally recognized author and expert on the aging brain, has partnered with Activity Connection to bring you eight ground-breaking videos that will give staff the tools and knowledge to truly maximize residents' quality of life. The exciting news is that after viewing each of the eight instructional videos and successfully completing the online tests, you can become a Certified Cognitive Stimulation Instructor. Here is how you can get started.

Click on the video below to learn more about the program from Dr. Winningham himself.

• Scientists have discovered that mental puzzles and exercises can stimulate the dendrites (memory storage compartments) of your brain cells.
• Severe mental decline is usually caused by disease, whereas most age-related losses in memory simply result from inactivity and a lack of mental exercise and stimulation. Just like physical exercise, when it comes to your brain, "use it or lose it."
• Put away your calculator and balance your checkbook the old-fashioned way—with pencil and paper. It's mind healthy!
• Research shows that being around other people is good for your memory. Close ties with others seem to improve mental performance. Maintain social connections for your mind's sake.
• Make music for your mind's sake! Researchers who study aging and the brain say that playing a musical instrument or learning how to play a new instrument keeps dendrites growing.