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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. Dr. Max Wallack founded Puzzles To Remember in 2008, and continues to act as an advisor and mentor. Hailey Richman is the Executive Director of PuzzlesToRemember. Since 2011, Hailey has been distributing puzzles to nursing facilities around the globe. Hailey is also the founder of KidCaregivers.com, where she provides advice for children dealing with dementia in their family members. Hailey has begun an international program called PuzzleTime which involves pairing youth members with people with Alzheimer's for an hour of shared jigsaw puzzle solving. Dr. Max Wallack 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 9, 2016

Thank You to the Daughters of the American Revolution!

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By Max Wallack
Puzzles to Remember


Yesterday I received a National Founders Award, the Mary Desha Medal for Youth, from the Daughters of the American Revolution for "Exemplary Service to Community, State, or Nation."


I want to thank the Daughters of the American Revolution for bestowing this great honor upon me.  Even more than that, I want to thank the Daughters of the American Revolution for being there for me over the past 5 or 6 years.    

I first was first contacted, at about age 14, to receive a local community service award for my work on behalf of Alzheimer’s patients.  When I left that meeting, several members came over to me and told me that I am part of their family now and they will always be there to help me, and they have remained true to their words.  The Daughters of the American Revolution have collected and supplied puzzles to my organization, PuzzlesToRemember, on several occasions.  They have remained in contact, always offering their friendship and support.

I know am very fortunate to have the support of such wonderful people.

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Max Wallack graduated from Boston University and worked as a Research Intern in the Molecular Psychiatry and Aging Laboratory in the Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics at Boston University School of Medicine. He is currently a student at Harvard Medical School. 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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Posted by Max Wallack at 5:06 PM 2 comments

Alzheimer's Puzzles Continue to Receive Great Reviews

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By Max Wallack
Puzzles to Remember
 

Here is a short note we received earlier today:
Max,
Just to let you know the two puzzles you sent are being used at the Geriatric unit at Forest Grove Hospital here in Oregon.  The program director was extolling the virtues and how they were designed to work different parts of the brain.  She told me she is ordering more because these two have been so successful.
Jan 

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Max Wallack graduated from Boston University and worked as a Research Intern in the Molecular Psychiatry and Aging Laboratory in the Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics at Boston University School of Medicine. He is currently a student at Harvard Medical School. 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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Posted by Max Wallack at 5:05 PM 0 comments

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.   




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Posted by Max Wallack at 9:04 PM 0 comments

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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