A group of Malvern care homes have been celebrating this year's National Puzzle Day.
Residential, nursing and dementia care homes Davenham, Perrins House, and Bradbury Court, collectively known as Friends of the Elderly Malvern, have marked the day by engaging residents in a variety of brain teasers, from Sudoku to classic jigsaws.
The puzzle activities are part of the daily routine for the residents, who enjoy them in groups or individually using an interactive activity tablet.
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Jo Bennett, general manager at Friends of the Elderly Malvern, said: "Our residents thoroughly enjoy all types of puzzles; whether they are played in groups, individually, on our large electronic interactive tablet or sat comfortably around a table, there’s always some puzzling puzzle taking place.”
The use of the interactive activity tablet, similar to an iPad or smartphone but on a much larger scale, has made access to a wide range of engaging applications possible.
These activities, Ms Bennett explains, are not just for fun but have numerous benefits for residents.
She explained: "Puzzles are a very good pastime for our residents as they can improve mental speed and thought processes – and they are also a positive activity for improving short-term memory."
On National Puzzle Day, Friends of the Elderly Malvern marked the occasion with a friendly competition, polling the residents' favourite puzzles.
The Bronze Medal spot saw a draw between crosswords, code breakers, and Arrow Word.
Sudoku took the Silver Medal, with Ms Bennett commenting: "The residents really get engrossed in the Japanese game of logic.
"I’m very impressed with how brilliantly our residents complete these puzzles, I certainly couldn’t do as well as they do."
Traditional jigsaw puzzles emerged victorious, winning the Gold Medal.
The residents play these either on the interactive screen or the homes' accessible tables.
Ms Bennett explained: "One of our residents told me that jigsaws can be traced back to the 18th Century when European map makers put their maps on to wood and cut them into small pieces.
"They did this to create learning tools to teach geography – so really, interactive puzzles have been around for quite a few hundred years.”
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