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Home  »  Press Release 11-08-2011

Puzzles to Remember - One Year Later


From: Springbok Puzzles 
Re: Puzzles to Remember - One Year Later


Contact:
Katie Saylor
Ksaylor@alliedmaterials.com  or 816-241-8080 ext 54


Kansas City, MO – In the fall of 2010, Springbok Puzzles released Puzzles to Remember, a line of jigsaw puzzles created especially for the Alzheimer's patient. In one year, these puzzles have shown themselves to be a tremendous success that benefits the Alzheimer patient and the caregiver, alike.

"Anyone else out there love the puzzles for Alzheimer's?" asked Toni W., an online Springbok customer.  "These have been a blessing for my mom and myself. She loves working the puzzles and they seem to bring her a calming peace."

In part, this is because of the way the puzzles are constructed. In part, this is because puzzling is enjoyable and a good "cognitive activity" – brain exercise! According to the recent MacArthur Study on Alzheimer's Disease, specific forms of mental activity, like jigsaw puzzles, seem to slow the progression of Alzheimer's. The idea is that puzzles work by stimulating multiple parts of the brain (www.social-psychiatry.com) and this stimulation keeps the brain active and healthy. Increasingly, experts are saying that this type of activity – along with a healthy diet and plenty of exercise – is helpful in delaying the advancement of Alzheimer's Disease (Preventing Memory Loss www.health.harvard.edu.

In creating Puzzles to Remember, Springbok took everything they have learned in nearly 50 years of making puzzles for the family and combined this with feedback from customers who worked puzzles with their Alzheimer relatives. Of particular assistance was the encouragement of Max Wallack, who by the age of 12, had seen firsthand, the impact of Alzheimer's on his great grandmother. Max noticed the calming effect certain puzzles had when his grandmother and other Alzheimer's patients worked them. This is the exact same effect we have heard about from other customers – families and caregivers – since creating Puzzles to Remember.

Puzzles to Remember are the same overall dimensions as Springbok's traditional 500-piece puzzles but P2R have only 12 or 36 pieces. These pieces are not just large: They are much, much larger than traditional children's jigsaw pieces, making them much, much easier for Alzheimer's patients to pick up and manipulate. Said this online customer: "I bought this and 2 other puzzles for my grandmother. She has Alzheimer's Disease and we have found that puzzles are a good source of enjoyment for her. The size of the [P2R] pieces allow her to finish a puzzle without the frustration that comes along with regular-sized pieces. Love them!"

The themes Springbok chooses for P2R also are important, particularly as the Alzheimer patient can become easily frustrated and upset. The themes Springbok chooses are purposefully nostalgic and cheerful without being juvenile. These are images that delight, the kind of images that Springbok has built their reputation on. "This is a beautiful adult puzzle for a person with Alzheimer's Disease," wrote in another Springbok customer. "It's hard to find adult items to keep them busy all day. Thank you."

As one caregiver put it, "It is very rewarding for our residents to be able to participate in an activity where they can achieve rather than fail. It leads to satisfaction rather than frustration.”

During November, National Alzheimer's Month and National Caregiver's Month, Springbok Puzzles donates 50% of the proceeds from online sales of our Alzheimers puzzles to PuzzlestoRemember.org, a charitable organization created by Max Wallack that supports Alzheimer's patients through its distribution of puzzles to Alzheimer's care facilities.

For more information about Puzzles to Remember, contact Springbok Puzzles @ www.springbok-puzzles.com.

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