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PRESS RELEASE
November 12, 2003
Contact: Colleen Coxe, ccoxe@coxeandco.com,
207-781-5479
November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness
Month
Father’s Struggle with Alzheimer’s
Leads Maine Woman to Develop
Wooden Puzzles for People with Alzheimer’s Disease
-- PuzzledMinds Introduces New Alzheimer’s Activity
Product --
YARMOUTH, Maine – Based on her experience caring for
her father as he succumbed to Alzheimer’s disease, a
Maine entrepreneur has introduced a new line of puzzles for
individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s. The high quality
wooden puzzles feature graphics chosen especially to help
mentally stimulate older people with Alzheimer’s and
dementia.
Prototypes of the company's first products, wooden six and
12-piece puzzles, were introduced in July 2003 at the National
Alzheimer's Disease Education Conference in Chicago. Based
on feedback, the prototypes were refined, and the puzzles
are being introduced to coincide with National Alzheimer's
Disease Awareness Month.
PuzzledMinds founder Patricia Thompson's father, Daniel
Cahill of Mountainside, New Jersey was always a vibrant and
outspoken person. He read four newspapers daily, and worked
as a traveling salesman for more than 40 years, retiring at
the age of 70. In 1996, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's
disease.
Thompson watched her father's mental and physical capacity
decline from the time of his diagnosis until his death in
2003. With her mother and siblings, she struggled to find
ways to keep her father engaged and stimulated, believing
that it might help stave off some of the ravaging effects
of the disease. Since her father had always enjoyed puzzles,
a few years ago, Thompson decided to give her father some
puzzles that might be appropriate for his diminished manual
and mental dexterity. She was stunned to find that her only
options were children's puzzles.
"I just couldn't bring myself to give my 80 year-old
father puzzles with children's cartoon characters on them,"
she said. "And as the disease advanced, he really needed
something that would stand up to a lot of handling. I wanted
to find some nice wooden puzzles, but everything I saw had
pictures of characters that would appeal to children."
Thompson just couldn't believe they did much to help stimulate
her father's cognitive functioning.
Feedback about PuzzledMind’s new puzzles at the National
Alzheimer's Disease Education Conference from professional
and individual caregivers, care facility administrators, and
even people suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease, was
encouraging.
“There is clearly a need for this type of product,”
Thompson said. Although the company was not prepared to take
orders at the conference, a number of people pressed her to
take them anyway.
“Caregivers, whether they are family, or professionals,
really struggle to find appropriate, meaningful ways to stimulate
people with Alzheimer’s. I think these puzzles are a
good start, and PuzzledMinds will continue research and development
on other products,” she said.
More information, including order forms, is available on
the PuzzledMinds web site, www.puzzledminds.com, or by calling
800-876-5950.
Thompson conceived of PuzzledMinds as a company committed
to developing and marketing activity products for individuals
with Alzheimer’s. The puzzles are the company’s
first product line, and were designed in Maine. They are being
produced in Mexico.
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