National Institute of Aging 

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Research supporting Mentally stimulating activities relate to slower decline/lower dementia risk

• Devanand, D. P., Goldberg, T. E., Qian, M., Rushia, S. N., Sneed, J. R., Andrews, H. F., Nino, I., Phillips, J., Pence, S. T., Linares, A. R., Hellegers, C. A., Michael, A. M., Kerner, N. A., Petrella, J. R., & Doraiswamy, P. M. (2022). Computerized Games versus Crosswords Training in Mild Cognitive Impairment. NEJM Evidence, 1(12), EVIDoa2200121. https://doi.org/10.1056/EVIDoa2200121

• Pillai, J. A., Hall, C. B., Dickson, D. W., Buschke, H., Lipton, R. B., & Verghese, J. (2011). Association of crossword puzzle participation with memory decline in persons who develop dementia. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS, 17(6), 1006–1013. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355617711001111

• Verghese, J., Lipton, R. B., Katz, M. J., Hall, C. B., Derby, C. A., Kuslansky, G., Ambrose, A. F., Sliwinski, M., & Buschke, H. (2003). Leisure activities and the risk of dementia in the elderly. The New England journal of medicine, 348(25), 2508–2516. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa022252​

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Art Workshops/Creative Programs Benefits

• Boersma, P., van der Ploeg, T., & Gobbens, R. J. J. (2021). The Added Value of Art for the Well-Being of Older People with Chronic Psychiatric Illnesses and Dementia Living in Long-Term Care Facilities, and on the Collaboration between Their Caregivers and Artists. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 9(11), 1489. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9111489

• How creative activities can help people with dementia | Alzheimer’s Society. (n.d.). Retrieved December 31, 2025, from https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/blog/creative-activities-can-help-with-dementia

• Safar, L. T. (2014). Use of Art Making in Treating Older Patients with Dementia. AMA Journal of Ethics, 16(8), 626–630. https://doi.org/10.1001/virtualmentor.2014.16.8.stas1-1408

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Intergenerational engagement

• Krzeczkowska, A., Spalding, D. M., McGeown, W. J., Gow, A. J., Carlson, M. C., & Nicholls, L. A. B. (2021). A systematic review of the impacts of intergenerational engagement on older adults’ cognitive, social, and health outcomes. Ageing Research Reviews, 71, 101400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2021.101400

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Language disparities

• Canales, C., Ramirez, C. M., Yang, S. C., Feinberg, S. A., Grogan, T. R., Whittington, R. A., Sarkisian, C., & Cannesson, M. (2024). A Prospective Observational Cohort Study of Language Preference and Preoperative Cognitive Screening in Older Adults: Do Language Disparities Exist in Cognitive Screening and Does the Association Between Test Results and Postoperative Delirium Differ Based on Language Preference?. Anesthesia and analgesia, 139(5), 903–911. https://doi.org/10.1213/ANE.0000000000006780