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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.

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Tips For Puzzle-Solving With Dementia Patients

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Hailey Richman
Assistant Director
PuzzlesToRemember

Today, grandma and I solved puzzles with another resident. This senior, “Mr. Lee” does not have a family that visits him. I feel sad for him. He also does not speak English.  But I still was able to make him smile and feel good.

I wheeled grandma near Mr. Lee. I handed him a puzzle piece and pointed to the puzzle.  At first he was not sure what I wanted him to do. But after a while he participated!  Grandma, Mr. Lee and I enjoyed ourselves.  Even the nurses were smiling and watching us solve the puzzles.  Some seniors with dementia can solve puzzles by themselves. Grandma needs my help and Mr. Lee needed some assistance.

Tips For Puzzle-Solving With Dementia Patients

  1. Try to let the seniors do it themselves
  2. Ask the person, “Where do you think we should put the puzzle piece?
  3. Say, “Do you think we should put it here?
  4. Say what you are doing, “ I am putting the puzzle piece here…"
  5. If they are not able to do it, than point to where they should put the puzzle piece
  6. If they are unable to do it at all, solve the puzzle standing near them
  7. Smile!  
    8.   




Posted by Max Wallack at 9:04 PM

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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