When Hailey Richman was 4 years old, her grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Her grandmother was her best friend, and Hailey felt isolated. She discovered that there were no support groups for kids, just adults, so she decided to make her own. At 8, she started blogging with tips and suggestions to support and empower other kids who are acting as caregivers. Hailey shared moments between her and her grandmother such as being called by her mom’s name, and realizing that she needed to accept that and inhabit her grandmother’s world in order to help her.
Suzanne Newman talks with the now 14-year-old Hailey, who is from Long Island, New York. Hailey is now executive director for two non-profit organizations that help seniors. Hailey loved making puzzles with her grandmother, and when she brought friends over they’d make puzzles with others on her grandmother’s floor. She thought, why not have this at all nursing homes? She created Puzzle Time, an inter-generational program where Girl Scouts, church groups, and others can volunteer community service hours helping solve puzzles with people who have Alzheimer’s.
Support the cause by donating or volunteering to help get puzzles into facilities that don’t have a lot of resources. Learn more at KidCaregivers.com and PuzzlesToRemember.org.
