Puzzles To Remember: Making Friends

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.

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Making Friends

by Hailey Richman

PuzzlesToRemember

www.KidCaregivers.com

Many seniors REALLY like kids. Whenever we work on puzzles with seniors we try to become friends with them. So we are not just working on puzzles but making friends too! We became friends with Dorothy. She has mild dementia which means she was able to talk a lot and understand us. She is in her nineties. After we solved the puzzle with her, we talked to her about the olden days and sang the song, "Follow The Yellow Brick Road". Since her name is Dorothy, she had the name of the lead character in the Wizard of Oz. Here are some tips:

Tips

1. Introduce yourself to the seniors in the nursing home

2. Tell them a little bit about yourself (your name, your age, your grade)

3. After solving a puzzle, talk to the senior about something fun.

4. Thank them for solving the puzzle with you

5. Give them a compliment. (for example: "your hair looks nice, you have such a nice smile, I love your nail polish)

6. Smile and give hugs!