Puzzle designed to prevent dementia asks you to find common thread in clues
Preventing dementia might not be on the forefront of your mind, but as it's the 'biggest killer in the UK', it should be.
Dementia, which is a set of symptoms caused by different diseases including Alzheimer's, mainly affects people over the age of 65 - but it can affect younger people too. And despite the chances of developing dementia rising significantly with age, you can do certain things now to help your chances.
Research shows that dementia, which can damage the brain and over time can affect memory, problem-solving, language and behaviour, is preventable in 40% of cases. It's important that everyone, even those who are young, do everything they can to reduce their risk. One of the things that has been shown to help is getting a brain workout by doing things like brain teasers, crosswords or other puzzles.
With regular practice, puzzles can help build up 'cognitive reserve', which is a person's ability to cope with dementia, and is built up by keeping the brain active. The more cognitive reserve a person has, "the longer it takes for any diseases in their brain to cause problems with everyday tasks," according to the Alzheimer's Society. "People with a smaller cognitive reserve are at a higher risk of getting dementia in their lifetime," explains the research charity.
In order to help people build up their cognitive reserve, improve brain function and prevent age-related cognitive decline, Alzheimer's Society's Head of Knowledge Dr Tim Beanland, has created a book called Mind Games, which features 150 puzzles to challenge memory and thinking skills with pictures, words, numbers and logic.
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The Alzheimer's Society has shared an example with The Mirror, which you can see below. In the example, taken from Mind Games, you will see five clues, and they all have something in common. The question is:
What do the solutions to these clues have in common?
- City in Florida (7)
- Rubber hockey disc (4)
- Small village (6)
- Female occultists (7)
- Nadir; lowest point (6)
This works a bit like a crossword puzzle, so you need to work out different words to describe the words above. You'll also see a number to help you, which explains how many letters are in the word you're looking for.
So take a bit of time out of your day and work out what all the words have in common. You'll see the answer below, so stop here if you haven't worked it out yet.
Ready for the answer? Here you go: they're all Shakespeare characters. See below.
City in Florida - Orlando
Rubber hockey disc - Puck
Small village - Hamlet
Female occultists - Witches
Nadir; lowest point - Below
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Doing these sorts of puzzles regularly can really help prevent diseases such as dementia. Author of the book Dr Beanland said: "One in three people born in the UK today will go on to develop dementia and it's the UK’s biggest killer. There's growing evidence that an active lifestyle is closely linked to healthy ageing, in both body and mind. A good way to keep your brain healthy is to be mentally active throughout life, perhaps by learning another language or a musical instrument, or by writing, making art or doing puzzles.
"Central to this idea of cognitive stimulation is that it should challenge you, which often means trying new things: variety is the spice of brain health. My puzzle book, Mind Games, is a useful resource for anyone keen to improve brain health and enhance mental agility. And importantly, it's a fun way to give the brain a good workout. Use it or lose it!"
Did you manage to work it out? Let us know in the comment section below.
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