Jigsaw puzzles are a great source of entertainment for all ages and has numerous benefits to one's brain.

DIXON, CA (MPG) - “I didn’t used to like doing jigsaw puzzles,” said RK (Roberta) Van Every of Dixon. “I thought it was a huge waste of time.”

Now, she and husband, Greig Van Every, both in their senior years, do several puzzles a week after learning about the many benefits for their brains.

Greig Van Every estimates that they have done 300 puzzles in the last three years. 

They will take a day or two to finish one but, on some nights, they might work a 300-piece puzzle entirely. 

“When I was a kid, we had a bunch of them in the garage,” said Greig Van Every, who had brain surgery a few years ago. The couple said that puzzles require critical thinking and creativity to find solutions that strengthen problem-solving skills. 

In one study, elderly people who did puzzles regularly had brain scans comparable to 25 year olds. 

On a UK site called “Rest in Pieces,” it was reported that those who do jigsaw and crossword puzzles have longer life spans with less chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease, memory loss or dementia. Puzzles stimulate the brain and wards off the plaque that is the marker of Alzheimer’s, according to a recent study published in the Archives of Neurology. That study compared brain scans of 75-year-olds to 25-year-olds. The elderly people who regularly did puzzles had brain scans comparable to the 25-year-olds.

“It does keep your mind sharp,” RK Van Every said. “It keeps your mind active going back and forth.”  

The couple’s sister made them a puzzle board to work on that had raised edges, so pieces won’t fall off. It sits perfectly on their coffee table.

“We do it for relaxation, so we don’t do 500- or 1,000-piece puzzles. Those are too stressful. And we have our favorites (artists/illustrators)” said RK Van Every. 

John Sloan (formerly Slobodnik) and Charles Wysocki, who do peaceful scenes of farmhouses, old cars, quilts, etc. are two of the Dixon couple’s favorites. Both authors make the couple remember the charm and culture of America in older times. 

Sloan is also special to RK Van Every because the man painted the covers for her mother’s (Catharine Smith) best-selling cookbooks that many Dixon women bought.

“He was just a young man in the Midwest,” RK Van Every said about her mother and she meeting him in person years ago. RK Van Every brought out several puzzles to show box covers that exude those peaceful scenes, but they are among others that are funny with cats and puzzles that glow in the dark.

The couple now shares and trades puzzles with some friends who have also taken up “puzzle-ing.” One set of friends made a New Year’s Resolution to do one a week and are logging their successes via a photo collage. The Van Everys donated 52 puzzles to their endeavor. 

RK and Greig Van Every have worked about 300 jigsaw puzzles in the last three years.

They also shared their insights to faster and smarter ways of working the puzzles. For example, they both like to do the outer edges first, then begin to fill in. Greig Van Every likes finding a line in the picture such as a row of fences, telephone poles, or wires. 

“If it’s too tedious, it’s not fun,” said RK. While it may take your mind off of anything else because you are focused, frustration can run high. 

Studies show that puzzles increase the production of dopamine, a chemical that regulates mood, memory and concentration. That’s inexpensive therapy when you consider that you can purchase used puzzles at The Friendly Bookworm, Dixon’s used bookstore, 200 N. First St., next to the library for $3 to $5. You can also donate the puzzles back when you’re done.