Helping to keep the brain challenged-use it or lose it?

[AlternativelyWired]

My mum likes word searches but I'm wondering what else she could do to keep her brain active. Something in a book form or a game perhaps. Nothing on a phone as she has nerve damage in her hands and struggles with phones/buttons/twiddly stuff. I think crosswords would be too much unless she started with easy ones and progressed. She's 83 and lives alone and apart from the tv and conversations with me and the dc there's not much that stimulates her mind and she's bored. She does go to a fitness class weekly and a few other bits and bobs but nothing that gets her thinking much. I'm trying to get her up to speed with everything her tv and she a can do but it's taking time. She's very wary of technology. So books, or something tangible she can do. Not jigsaws, she finds those really hard and gives up. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

What about "colour by numbers" pictures / adult colouring books then she can see her progress?

Sudoku is also good

There’s this propaganda going around that we can stave off dementia by doing brain puzzles, but it’s wistful thinking IMO. And a bit of a marketing strategy.

Fitness class is excellent. Company and conversation are important. Good to keep up some brain activities like reading and word searches, but don’t delude yourself that they’re a substitute for outside stimulation.

I’d be looking into daycare centres and other social events for seniors. She’s not going to start doing crosswords at the age of 83, if she wasn’t interested before.

She reads daily, she goes out occasionally but is disabled and is limited in that regard. She bakes sometimes, she does word searches, she watches the odd documentary, the news, pointless, tipping point. She's asked for something to do like word searches though. My dad was a crossword whizz. I think she feels isolated from the world and she is really and she wants to find things she can do on her own that's not just watching tv. The fitness class is her physio group and very specific to her needs. It's not particularly social.

Age Concern run day care centres and can sometimes do transport.

She's not interested in day centres. She'd consider herself too young for that kind of thing. My grandad was the same and he was 89. Just not their thing. She's mentally fine, and wants to improve her brain skills in a fun way for when it's a full day and she's stuck inside. I'm going to look at games we can play together. Ds is a shameless cheat and gives us all a good laugh as he's so cute with it.

My mum loved scrabble so I played that with her every weekend. Sometimes my son or a friend joined us. She also liked card games and played pairs and other games with DS.

Jigsaws?

My mum goes to a lunch club once a week. They pick her up and bring her home. It's a good opportunity to socialise and chat without being like a day centre.

I think trying anything new would be good. Eg taking up a new craft or going to an art class, joining a history society?
Social interaction is supposed to be good, hence joining groups or classes. Lunch club as countrygirl suggested.

My parent is also a group activity refusenik. You can buy some puzzle books with word search plus other types of puzzles and
they come in large print which may help. That may expand her puzzle horizons. Morrisons and WH Smith have a good selection. My parent also enjoys ‘take a break’ puzzle competitions.

I also got a box of fidget toys. Quite good for stress relief and to exercise the hand.

they used to do adult colouring books and jigsaws but these activities got cast aside in the last couple of years…