Prevention
Gone are the days
when the theory of "play mental games to keep the brain active" was a
hypothesis. Now it is proved by the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center Through a
study they showed that the "risk of developing Alzheimer can be reduced by
47 percent by thought-provoking and mind-stimulating activities." They
also recommend forming a "Scrabble or Mahjong club" to make sure that
something is done for the brain regularly. Other studies support this
assessment.
So, as preventive
maintenance approach, anyone who is afraid of developing Alzheimer's disease,
should play Scrabble often. However, those who have a family history of
Alzheimer's should make sure that they indulge in mind stimulating activities
almost every day. If you do not find scrabble interesting, then some other
board games, offering brain twisting exercises, can also help.
Treatment
If the disease has
already marked its damaging posture in the patient’s brain, and it is too late to
consider any prevention measures, scrabble can be still a powerful weapon to
delay the disastrous effects. Recent research from the University of Pittsburgh
Medical Center, published in the "Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and
Psychiatry", have demonstrated that any mentally stimulating activities
such as games, can play a useful role alongside medication in improving the
cognitive function of Alzheimer's patients. That is another plus for Scrabble,
the various internet versions of which have grown the game into one of the most
popular online today.
According to another
research by Professor Andrew Carle at George Mason University,
"progression of Alzheimer can be slowed down by playing different word
games."
Irrespective of
Alzheimer's Disease or other form of dementia, cognitive decline is a very
common phenomena as we advance in years. Medical research teaches us clearly
that keeping one's brain active with puzzles, games, study and similar means
are an effective method of slowing the rate of age-related cognitive decline.
Furthermore, the earlier in life one begins to regularly participate in such
active brain games and pursuits, the longer it takes before any cognitive
decline even begins.
Playing scrabble is
a great exercise for the brain, as it has various elements that can keep the
brain active. It requires logical thinking, anagramming, and placement
decisions. All of these can prove to be great stimulants for the brain.
The lesson is clear.
Play Scrabble and other brain-games regularly to enhance and maintain your
overall mental health throughout life, and to help prevent Alzheimer's disease
or other forms of age-related cognitive decline in your later life.
Caregiving and Socializing
Playing games in
which the Alzheimer's patient can participate is a great way to spend some
quality time with the patient, whether at home or at the nursing facility.
Although Alzheimer affects the patient's cognitive skills, however many
Alzheimer patients retain their vocabulary even at the later stages of their
disease. That is why Scrabble is a good choice to engage the patients of
Alzheimer's disease.
One of the gravest
problems of the Alzheimer's disease patients is that they become very lonely
with the passing time. In addition to the logic of space and placement,
spelling and rational thinking, it also provides additional opportunities for
socializing, since it is a game that involves multiple players. Having a
Scrabble group helps alleviate loneliness and depression---side effects and
frustrations of aging and feeling isolated. A daily game of Scrabble will help
keep the aging mind sharp and give the person something to look forward to
every day.
Online Scrabble –
Play for Free
There are several ways to play Scrabble online, including
some officially sanctioned sites and some unofficial sites where you can play
Scrabble-like crossword games. We will present several options for your
convenience:
1. Facebook: Two official versions of Scrabble are
available on Facebook,
one for residents of the U.S. and Canada and the other for residents of other
countries. A third Scrabble-like game, Lexulous, is also available. (Lexulous
was known as Scrabulous until lawsuits were filed against the creators by both
Hasbro and Mattel.) Free registration is required to join Facebook.
2. Games.com: Games.com, run by AOL Games, offers players five versions
of Scrabble, including the classic board game. Other versions include Scrabble
Blast (play online or download), Scrabble Cubes (play online), Scrabble Journey
(download only), and Scrabble Rack Attack (play online or download), and Just Words (single
player and multi-player). Free registration is required to join Games.com.
3. Lexulous.com: In addition to being available at
Facebook, Lexulous can be played at Lexulous.com. Free registration is required to join
Lexulous.com.
4. Pogo.com
Pogo.com,
run by Electronic Arts, is an official place to play Scrabble. Two versions are
available: classic Scrabble (for two to four players) and Scrabble Blast (a
solo game fairly described as Scrabble meets Boggle). Free registration is
required to join Pogo.com.
5. Scrabb.ly: Scrabb.ly, an independent crossword game, is a massively
multi-player online game. Once you play your first word, you keep building on
your own work. Anytime you need to swap tiles, you lose a life (you only have a
total of three). When your last life ends, your score is calculated.
6. Yahoo Games: Yahoo Games offers a game called Literati, a crossword game
with similarities to Scrabble. Free registration is required to join Yahoo
Games.
7. Online Scrabble: Online Scrabble is more difficult to
navigate than some of the others, but it does offer a good free version of
online scrabble, with a variety of different game modes like classic,
tournament, etc. If you get sick of playing the same old style on some of
the other sites, then this site might be worth checking out. It’s might not
be your first choice for a site to play scrabble against a computer, but it’s
not bad.
8. OnlineScrabbleFree:
OnlineScrabbleFree offers to play
scrabble and some other word games for free. No registration is required.
Sources and Additional
Information:
