Jeff Hanson - Changing the World Through Art

November is Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month

Alzheimer's Disease is a progressive and deadly form of dementia that is not part of the natural aging process. It is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States and it is on the rise. Over 5 million Americans have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Mostly, they are cared for by over 10 million loved ones.

Current brain research shows that some forms of mental exercise, like jigsaw puzzles, can slow the progression of this disease. Jigsaw puzzles are especially helpful as they stimulate multiple areas of the brain at once. Traditional jigsaws, however, are too difficult for advanced Alzheimer's patients, causing agitation and frustration.

Puzzles to Remember are created for the Alzheimer's patients. These puzzles are the same overall dimensions as our 500-piece puzzles, but they have only 36, 60, or 100 pieces. Much larger than even traditional children's jigsaw pieces, they are easier for Alzheimer's patients to manipulate. Plus, the nostalgic and cheerful themes are chosen for their ability to provide gentle stimulation and positive reinforcement.

Our puzzles were inspired by the work of Max Wallack, a family caregiver who saw, firsthand, the impact of Alzheimer's on his great grandmother, and the calming effect of jigsaw puzzles. When Max was 12, he created class www.PuzzlesToRemember.orgclass class for collecting and distributing puzzles to Alzheimer's patients. From January through June of 2012, Max's organization has donated over 5,000 puzzles throughout all of North America. These puzzles include new, Puzzles to Remember from Springbok as well as "gently used" puzzles in a variety of formats Max collects himself and distributes, via financial help from American Express.