Puzzles become the gift of a lifetime for Lackey family




Kathy Pearson
Donald Lackey uses a magnifying glass to help him sort puzzle pieces in the last year of his life. Puzzles were a way to keep Donald engaged and present while suffering with Alzheimer’s disease. He passed away this past March.

“There were times we would be up at 2 a.m., sitting at the table with a lamp, putting a puzzle together because he couldn’t sleep.”

Coping with a loved one diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease is a heartbreaking journey. When his family found a way to keep Donald Lackey focused and engaged as his memory and cognitive skills deteriorated as a result of the disease, they stumbled upon a blessing.

Donald was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in June 2016. After just a few months, he had watched all the “Gunsmoke” episodes he could on TV. Lorraine, his wife, knew she had to find something else he could do to keep him focused and exercise his brain.

“We tried word searches,” said his daughter, Kathy. “But he was not interested in them at all.”

It was then that Lorraine remembered a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle she had bought as a gift. It was never given and it was still in her closet. She pulled it out. At first, Donald didn’t seem too enthused.

“But once he got started, there was no stopping him,” Lorraine reflected.

As soon as they pieced together that first puzzle, he was ready for another. Donald would only do 1,000-piece puzzles and he helped choose them. Lorraine had puzzle catalogues for Donald to peruse. He even picked out puzzles that matched family members’ interests.

Once a puzzle was complete, the family would glue and frame each one. Donald also had a role in that process. He used a rolling pin to make sure the pieces were flat and connected properly before gluing.

Linda Sue Niestemski Kathy Pearson and her mother, Lorraine Lackey, give a tour of the Lackey home, which is decorated with more than 60 puzzles that the late Donald Lackey, afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease, helped to piece together during the last year of his life.

The puzzles kept the Alzheimer’s patient busy — and it was something he could do with everyone in the family. He pieced together puzzles with his wife, daughter, and also his grandchildren.

“I think God had me keep that puzzle because He knew I would need it,” Lorraine explained.

Eventually, piecing the puzzles together proved too difficult for Donald; his role changed to sorting pieces.

He would sit for hours, using a magnifying glass to separate pieces by color. Then he’d watch his family put them together.

After framing the puzzles, they displayed this unconventional art throughout the home. The walls in the Lackey residence are decorated with puzzle after puzzle; each area has its own theme.

The kitchen is decorated with food products and kitchen scenes, while a bedroom is covered in outdoor scenes and animals. A favorite spot for admiring these puzzles is what the family calls the “man cave.” It’s a hallway with puzzles displaying Donald’s interests.

“Birds, airplanes, older decades … and old Ford trucks,” Lorraine reminisced. “He loved those old Ford trucks.”

There are puzzles for every season and holiday. Lorraine now decorates with these, instead of traditional holiday décor. In the entryway, guests are greeted with a beautiful manger scene puzzle, framed and placed upon an easel. A turkey puzzle was on display for Thanksgiving. There are a few more Christmas puzzles on display in this hall.

Guests entering the living room during Christmastime walk into a magical wonderland. There is no snow here, just puzzle after puzzle of beautiful holiday scenes.

The puzzles may be an alternative to classic paintings and modern sculpture, but to Lorraine, Kathy, and the rest of the family, they are so much more.

“This made memories, and it was therapeutic for us,” Kathy said.

Lorraine explained that it’s still therapeutic for her. Although Donald passed away in March, she continues to do puzzles, adding to those she put together with her husband until about last December, when it simply became too much for him.

Lorraine and Kathy share their experience of dealing with a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s disease in hopes that someone else in a similar situation will benefit from their story.

“Each grandkid has a puzzle their Pops chose for them,” Kathy said. “I have one he helped do for me.”

Finding something to keep their loved one busy and happy while dealing with a debilitating disease turned out to be a gift not just for “Pops,” but for his family, as well.


Memory thief
With Alzheimer’s disease comes memory loss and this is often cited as the biggest struggle while caring for an affected loved one. Lorraine Lackey’s husband, Donald, sometimes didn’t recognize her, but he repeatedly expressed a desire to date her. Even as his health declined, his wife remained the object of his affection.


Activities can help

Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease causing mild memory loss in early stages. Late stage Alzheimer’s results in an inability to respond to one’s environment. One in 10 people age 65 or older has Alzheimer’s disease.

According to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), meaningful activities are crucial to helping a person with Alzheimer’s disease maintain quality of life as the disease progresses. This list of recommended activities can be personalized based on an individual’s interests and hobbies.
•Cooking or baking simple recipes
•Arts and crafts
•Reading or listening to books, picture books
•Playing music or singing songs
•Watching family videos
•Working on puzzles.

Early detection has been proven to temporarily slow progression of the disease and improve quality of life for the affected individual, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

A 24-hour helpline is available for Alzheimer’s sufferers or their caregivers. Call 800-272-3900.