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Friday, April 30, 2004
Alzheimer's inspires
puzzle maker
by VICTORIA GANNON, Portland Press Herald News Assistant
Daniel Cahill never got to see the puzzles
he inspired or the business his daughter is building around
them. Suffering from Alzheimer's disease, Cahill died in January
2003, shortly before his daughter completed the first prototypes.
Patricia Thompson, Cahill's daughter, is the
founder of PuzzledMinds, a Yarmouth company that produces
therapeutic wooden puzzles with 12 or fewer pieces. With large
knobs, the pieces are easy to reassemble and printed with
such iconic images as the American flag and Statue of Liberty.
The puzzles are designed for people with Alzheimer's
disease, a progressive degeneration of brain cells that commonly
leads to severe dementia. It afflicts an estimated 4.5 million
Americans. That number is expected to jump to as many as 16
million by 2050, as the nation's population continues to age
and enjoy longer life spans.
A growing number of businesses - including
big pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer, assisted-living
corporations such as the 126-site Altria Senior Living Group,
and massive retailers like Amazon.com - are selling products
for this market. But while entrepreneurs such as Thompson
lack the financial backing or marketing power of such big-name
firms, they have a passion for their products that is borne
from personal experience.
Thompson, who retired after working 25 years
for the federal government, came up with the idea for the
puzzles during her struggle to find appropriate activities
for her father. She tried to engage him with magazines and
newspapers, photographs and television. Then she thought of
jigsaw puzzles.
She was dismayed to find the ones that he could
manage were printed with images intended for children. "I
couldn't give my father a puzzle with a duck on it,"
she said.
Eleanor Goldberg, director of the Maine Alzheimer's
Association, an organization providing support services to
people affected by the disease, agreed that finding activities
for people with Alzheimer's is difficult.
"People with Alzheimer's disease
are adults and we need to treat them accordingly, and work
with them on that level," she said. "Puzzles are
a good activity for some people and (it's a good idea) to
have those pictures relevant to their lives."
People with Alzheimer's, just like anyone else,
respond well to activities with familiar themes.
"For example, if I'm not someone
who was a cook, a cooking activity probably would not capture
my attention," said Goldberg.
It's also important that activities are formulated
to meet each person's skill and comprehension level. "You
want them to experience success, rather than frustration or
failure," she said.
Thompson considered these factors when developing
her puzzles. She went through a process of trial and error
to create a puzzle that Alzheimer's patients can do and still
retain a sense of dignity. Those in early stages of the disease
can assemble them. Those in later stages can simply handle
the wooden shapes.
She debuted the puzzles in July 2003 at the
National Alzheimer's Disease Education Conference in Chicago.
Thompson made several adjustments to her initial
design, hoping to make the puzzles as adaptable and facile
as possible. She abandoned interlocking pieces for smoothly
cut ones, chose a matte finish for the images rather than
glossy.
She reproduced simple pictures - of the Brooklyn
Bridge, a Maine lighthouse, the Eiffel Tower - that adults
had a good chance of recognizing. "Every time they recognize
an image, it triggers their long-term recall," she said.
Thompson's hope is that use of the puzzles
may slow progression of the disease. She hopes to secure grant
money so formal research on the puzzles' benefits can be done.
Initial feedback from Alzheimer's caregivers and experts suggests
the puzzles are effective for engaging the minds of patients.
Produced in Mexico, the puzzles became available
in November and sell for $39.95. One of Thompson's two employees
markets them to assisted living facilities, nursing homes,
hospitals and adult day-care centers. The product also is
available at medical conferences that Thompson attends and
through the PuzzledMinds Web site, www.puzzledminds.com. Like
most startups, the business is not making money yet.
Her father's memory fuels her entrepreneurship,
said Thompson. "I would fail my father if I stopped,"
she said. "I'm interested in making a profit, but I'm
also interested in those 4.5 million people (with Alzheimer's)
sitting out there doing nothing."
News Assistant Victoria Gannon can be reached
at 791-6309 or at:
vgannon@pressherald.com
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