Free, no signup. The PDF has the puzzle on page one and the answer key on page two.
Dementia Friendly Word Search
11 words · 12×12 grid
How to play: click (or tap) the first letter, drag to the last letter, then release. Words go in any direction, including backwards. Or download the PDF to solve on paper.
Find these words
The words here are ordinary ones, the kind that tend to stay put longest: KETTLE, GARDEN, SUNDAY, RADIO. The type is large, the grid is generous, and there is no clock running anywhere. This is meant to be a pleasant half hour that ends in finishing something, which is the whole point.
Word find. Word search. The grid above answers to both and hides 11 dementia friendly words.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from a standard word search?
Large type, a smaller grid, short everyday words, and no diagonal or backward placements. It is designed to be completed rather than to be difficult.
Will doing puzzles slow the progress of dementia?
There is no good evidence that they do, and anyone promising otherwise is selling something. What a puzzle can offer is an enjoyable, achievable activity, which is worth having on its own terms.
Any advice for sitting down with someone?
Read the word list aloud together, work at whatever pace suits, and treat every word found as the point rather than the finish.
