Puzzles To Remember

PUZZLES TO REMEMBER is a 501(c)3 organization that provides puzzles to nursing homes, veterans facilities, and other facilities that care for Alzheimer's and dementia patients. Puzzles To Remember was founded in 2008 by Max Wallack, who recognized the calming effect of puzzles and many other benefits on people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Max graduated from Boston University, Summa Cum Laude, in 2015, and from Harvard Medical School in 2020.

Beginning in 2020, Hailey Richman is the Executive Director of PuzzlesToRemember. Since 2011, Hailey has been distributing puzzles to nursing facilities around the globe. Hailey also spends time doing the puzzles with nursing home residents. She always brightens their days. Hailey is also the founder of KidCaregivers.com, where she provides advice for children dealing with dementia in their family members. Hailey has begun a program called PuzzleTime which involves volunteer students going to nursing facilities and doing puzzles with their residents. Max serves as a mentor to the KidCaregivers program.

If you have puzzles that you would like to donate, please contact us at Puzzles2Remember@gmail.com and we will find a location near you where you can bring your puzzles. We can also provide you with a donation letter so that you can claim the value of your puzzles as a tax deduction.

To see a short video from WCVB Ch. 5 "BOSTON STRONG" about Max's efforts on behalf of Alzheimer's patients, click here.

To see a short video about Hailey's Puzzle Time Program, click here.

Friday, May 26, 2023

Marvel Hero Project: Here Comes Hailey

Being Part of the Marvel Hero Project was a life changing experience. It warmed my heart to know that I could share with many people our Puzzle Time program and also my experiences with Grandma. Disney+ is removing the Marvel Hero Project today. So please check it out if you get a chance!

Sunday, April 23, 2023

Alzheimer's Stamp

Got #AlzheimersStamps? If not, you can order them online at The Postal Store® and help raise funds for #NIH funded #dementia #research: https://store.usps.com/.../buy-stamps/alzheimers-S_564204.

Friday, April 21, 2023

The Stages of Alzheimer's Disease

Preclinical - the person has no symptoms but the beta amyloid plaques are still present, and biomarkers are discovered. Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) - Grandma had this stage for a while. The person is forgetful but it is not enough to greatly interfere with their life. Sometimes it is even hard to determine if it is normal aging or a very very early stage of the disease. Mild Dementia due to Alzheimer's Disease - trouble remembering things they just learned Moderate Dementia due to Alzheimer's Disease - confusion takes over Severe Dementia due to Alzheimer's Disease - loss of ability to communicate. WHAT IS NOT LOST? THE ABILITY TO LOVE YOUR FAMILY MEMBER THROUGH ALL STAGES. Do not forget that we can still kiss our family member, hold our family member and love them deeply! Please always know that you are not alone! There are a lot of us out there!

Thursday, January 19, 2023

Thank You Jake Guttman - Our Long Island Puzzle Ambassador!

Jake Guttman, age, 16, has been delivering puzzles on behalf of PuzzlesToRemember since he was 13. He serves as our Long Island Ambassador. Jake is involved in Alzheimer's awareness and advocacy on many fronts. He has presented PowerPoint presentations in his high school to explain the disease, and was invited to present on behalf of the National Science Honor Society (in which his has exceled from the start of High School!) He collects and distributes jigsaw puzzles to memory care facilities and has also fundraised for our organization requesting banks to sponsor our organization. In his spare time his enjoys coding and is a Hugh O'Brien Youth Leader! We are so grateful for all of your efforts Jake!

Monday, January 16, 2023

Thank you to our Massachusetts Puzzle Ambassador - LILY MINKOFF!

Lily Minkoff, age 17, has been delivering puzzles on behalf of PuzzlesToRemember since she was 11 years old. She serves as our Massachusetts Ambassador. Lily is also an award-winning ice skater who also donates her time teaching ice skating to students with disabilities. She is also an accomplished saxophone player. Lily’s great grandmother had Alzheimer’s disease, so, at a young age, Lily became involved in distributing puzzles to help those with dementia. Lily recently received a large donation of puzzles from Ceaco Puzzles in Newton MA. She plans to deliver them to nursing facilities today and over the next few weeks in honor of Martin Luther King’s birthday. Thank you, Lily! You are making a big difference in the lives of many of our seniors!

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

Thank you CEACO Corporation!

We are extremely grateful to the CEACO Puzzle Corporation for their generosity throughout the years! We are especially thrilled about their donation of 200 puzzles for our huge Martin Luther King Jr. PUZZLE DISTRIBUTION DAY!

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others'"? -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

Every year we honor Dr. King's memory by doing good deeds on that weekend. We will have our PUZZLE AMBASSADORS bringing puzzles to facilities for people living with Alzheimer's disease, we will be solving puzzles with residents at facilities and spending time there. We are planning to supply over 3000 puzzles to underserved and diverse communities who are in need of recreational activities to provide stimulation and hopefully slow the progression of the disease. Here are some shocking statistics that we need to be aware of: Age-specific prevalence of dementia has been found to be 14% to 100% higher in African- Americans. (While the rates vary among studies, three out of four report these higher prevalence rates.) The cumulative risk of dementia among first- degree relatives of African-Americans who have Alzheimer's disease is 43.7%. Approximately 13% of Hispanics who are 65 or older have Alzheimer's or another dementia. At some point my parents would like to have their garage again. But for now, it will be filled completely with jigsaw puzzles for people living with Alzheimer's dise

Friday, November 11, 2022

Halloween Candy for Veterans

On Veterans Day I always visit the Veterans from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) center in my neighborhood with a huge group of student volunteers and Girl Scouts. We all bring our left over candy from Halloween. It will be given to Veterans in the US and overseas. We also collaborate with Veterans who volunteer for our organization, on that day! It is such a HUGE honor to have milatary veterans volunteerinf for Puzzles To Remember. The Veterans help us distribute puzzles to memory care facilties who have residents with Alzheimer's disease.

Friday, October 7, 2022

Thank You So Much Frances Valentine

Thank You So Much Frances Valentine! We are so very grateful to Frances Valentine for their EXTREMELY generous donation of 1000 jigsaw puzzles to our organization! The puzzle on the left is called Bird Is The Word, and the one on the right is Into The Flowers Both puzzles are very colorful, cheerful and have lovely themes. They will be donated to facilities with independent seniors who are often isolated and need challenging puzzle activities to possibly prevent Alzheimer's in the first place! In addition, we are going to use the puzzles for a PUZZLE -A-THON to raise money for the CURE ALZHEIMER'S FUND. We cannot thank Frances Valentine enough for their kindness and generosity on behalf of the Alzheimer's community! FRANCES VALENTINE is an extraordinary posh and gorgeous boutique on Madison Avenue in NYC. Here is their website click here They sell super fashionable clothes and accessories!

Friday, August 26, 2022

A Special Memory From Woman's Day Magazine in 2018

Such a special memory! Grandma and I were in the September 2018 issue of Woman's Day magazine. I was overjoyed about getting our story published. It could not have happened without my dear friend Lynda Everman's help! I was happy to share with other families that kids who are caregivers are not alone! There are actually 1.8 million young people who are caring for a family member with Alzheimer's disease