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Puzzles To Remember

PUZZLES TO REMEMBER is a youth led 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias through jigsaw puzzles, cognitive engagement, and social connection. Led by Executive Director Hailey Richman, Puzzles To Remember has distributed more than 236,000 puzzles valued at over $2 million to more than 5,000 memory care communities, nursing homes, veterans facilities, senior centers, and other organizations across all 50 states and 16 countries. Our programs have benefited more than one million people while diverting approximately 148 tons of puzzles from landfills through donation and reuse. Puzzles To Remember also promotes intergenerational connection through Puzzle Time, which brings young people together with individuals living with dementia for shared puzzle solving, conversation, and companionship. Our mission is to provide engaging and purposeful activities that promote connection, participation, and joy while enhancing the quality of life of those affected by dementia. Donate Puzzles If you have puzzles you would like to donate, please contact us at Puzzles2Remember@gmail.com. We will help identify a location where your puzzles can benefit individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Donation acknowledgment letters are available upon request.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Smiles For Alzheimer's Patients

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By Max Wallack
Puzzles to Remember


About a year ago, I was contacted by Gabe and Daniela Badescu, a couple that was caring for four Alzheimer’s patients in their facility in Temecula CA, called Temecu Hills Assisted Living.

They had been searching for beneficial activities for their patients, especially ones that might bring a sense of accomplishment. They asked if I knew of any puzzles that might meet this need.

In response, I sent 2 Springbok PuzzlesToRemember.

After using the puzzles, Gabe wrote:

"Hi Max - we received the puzzle you sent us - Thank you! I've attached a picture of one our residents enjoying the puzzle. It is very rewarding for our residents to be able to participate in an activity where they can achieve rather than fail. It leads to satisfaction rather than frustration". 

From my several correspondences with the Badescus, I knew that they were providing the kind of care that every Alzheimer’s patient should have! 

The Badescus have since founded another Alzheimer’s facility nearby, Vintage Hills Assisted Living. Their new website is www.seniornest.com, and their facebook page is www.facebook.com/comforteldercare.

Several new Springbok PuzzlesToRemember are on the way to their new facility, where the puzzles are being used for the most lofty purpose: they make Alzheimer’s patients smile.











Max Wallack is a student at Boston University and a Research Intern in the Molecular Psychiatry and Aging Laboratory in the Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics at
Boston University School of Medicine.  His great grandmother, Gertrude, suffered from
Alzheimer's disease. Max is the founder of  PUZZLES TO REMEMBER. PTR is a project that provides puzzles to nursing homes and veterans institutions that care for Alzheimer's and dementia patients.

 

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PUZZLES TO REMEMBER was founded in 2008 by Max Wallack, in memory of his great-grandmother, Gertrude Finkelstein, who died of Alzheimer's disease in 2007.
Puzzles To Remember is registered in Massachusetts as a public charity. Contributions are welcome, and are tax deductible under sec. 501(c.)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.

For more information, write to us at Puzzles2Remember@gmail.com