National Puzzle Day 2025

Benefits of puzzles for people with dementia

For puzzle day, we are sharing some information from our Admiral Nurse, Dr Jane Pritchard about how puzzles can be used to benefit people living with dementia.

Dementia affects people’s ability to carry out everyday tasks that we all take for granted. People with the condition may struggle to initiate, sustain and complete hobbies or activities, although taking part in these has many benefits for mental health. They fill our day, bring meaning, and activities such as puzzles enhance our psychological well-being, providing pleasure but also a sense of competence as we complete them.

Puzzles can create opportunities to collaborate with other people, allowing us to forge closer relationships. Keeping the brain active has been shown to reduce the likelihood of developing dementia, and ‘cognitive stimulation’ through the use of puzzles for example, has been shown to benefit cognitive functioning in people who do have a diagnosis, appearing to slow down their illness, and even in some cases leading to small improvements.

Dementia puzzles

Puzzles need to be selected carefully and pitched at the right level for the individual and their abilities. Jigsaws are a particularly good activity that can be pleasurable to carry out, are simple, visual and easy to understand. They can also enable others to get involved as well, providing an opportunity for families or carers to spend quality time together.

When choosing a jigsaw, consider a picture that is of interest to the person, and how many pieces would be right for them. Most people with dementia would need less than 50 pieces, and some perhaps much less than this. Jigsaws designed for children can work well, but now there are also specially designed, easy to complete jigsaws designed for people with dementia. The subject matter is more adult (so people don’t feel patronised), and often evokes memories from the past. These can be bought online in various shops (search ‘dementia jigsaw’).

Other types of puzzles can also keep the brain active, such as a track marble maze, spot the difference pictures, or simple word games such as ‘word wheels’ where the person creates words containing the letters within the wheel (using each time the letter in the middle). These are available for free online, and can also be found in newspapers and puzzle books.

Crosswords can be more challenging for people with dementia, especially where language ability has become affected or the person struggles with concentration. Easy to complete crosswords, or word searches tend to work better. The aim is to make the activity fun, and a ‘no fail’ activity wherever possible. Many websites such as mariasplace.com have free downloadable word games designed for older people and those with dementia.