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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.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Over 80 Alzheimer’s Facilities Supplied With Puzzles in the Last Month

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By Max Wallack
Puzzles to Remember

The last month has been very busy for PuzzlesToRemember. Springbok’s PuzzlesToRemember, specialized puzzles for those with Alzheimer’s, have been sent out to 21 Memory Cafes, 30 Alzheimer’s units, and 3 Adult Day Care Centers. In addition, new and gently used puzzles have been supplied to 31 nursing facilities around the globe, from France to the United States to Canada.

Many wonderful notes of appreciation were received.

From the Orchard House in Connecticut:

“Please know that your support will make it possible for us to provide social interaction for elderly individuals with Alzheimer’s from our area.” 

From Willow Brook in Arkansas:

“Thank you so much for the puzzle donation! Our residents in the SCU love them! They really work and complete the puzzles because of the large puzzle pieces. Thanks again.) 

From Bright Horizons in New York:

“I wish to express my sincere thanks for your donation of puzzles to our programs. They will be used and enjoyed by our many members, and your generosity is greatly appreciated.” 

I also have been fortunate to be in touch with Gaby from Monterrey, Mexico. At Gaby’s suggestion, I will sending Springbok PuzzlesToRemember, and Gaby will distribute them to Alzheimer’s facilities in Mexico. Gaby really understands the value of puzzles. In addition to supplying puzzles to Alzeheimer's  facilities, Gaby says,

 “Once or twice a week some of my neighbors (children) come to my house to play with puzzles. (See attached photos.) I knew puzzles help to stimulate minds. And I wanted to help them to improve their grades and abilities having fun.”



Additionally, this month I was contacted by over a dozen individuals, whom I helped find locations in their area to which they could bring their gently used puzzles.

I am amazed that, just this month, I have been able to supply more puzzles than I did during the whole first year of PuzzlesToRemember!

Springbok and I have been consulting about the development of additional Alzheimer’s puzzles. In particular, many people have been requesting that we develop more images that would be appealing to men.

I also had the opportunity to give a research poster presentation at the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry’s annual meeting in Los Angeles. It was a great experience, and I learned a great deal.

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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