When Amy Young initially came up with the idea for Raleigh-based Jigsawdio, she intended it to be something for her children to engage with their family memories and photos, based on stories she told them.
After creating an initial MVP (minimum viable product), she recognized a bigger potential that this product could bring. She’s always had a soft spot for older people and has always wanted to give back to that population in some way, but never knew how to.
With some research and seeing the alarmingly rising number of seniors who will be diagnosed with Alzheimers’s, Young realized what Jigsawdio was truly made for.
According to the Alzheimer Society of Canada, challenging the brain can potentially improve long-term memory and the ability to remember past experiences for people with Alzheimer’s. Challenging activities such as puzzles and memory games keep the brain active. When pairing these challenges with reminiscence therapy—which focuses on activities based on life experiences—long-term memory can potentially be improved and the risk for advanced dementia be reduced.
Jigsawdio combines all of these therapies with its interactive audio puzzle that can be completely customizable, from the pictures of the puzzle to the recordings.
A Jigsawdio puzzle works much like a regular jigsaw puzzle, but some puzzle pieces are enhanced with pre-recorded audio. Each of the sound pieces light up when placed in the correct spot. That alerts the user to press the piece to hear the sound.
Before Jigsawdio users get the frame, they would customize the photos and audios on the mobile app. Users would upload pictures into puzzle templates and then upload or record audios that corresponds with the image, whether that’s a song, people speaking or even just sounds of nature—which Young found to be a popular option in Jigsawdio’s initial pilot study.
In early 2023, Jigsawdio conducted a study, where they gave each study participant three different puzzles—with pieces that can be swapped—and their families contributed either their own life stories and photos, or photos and audios of things that the senior liked. The study participants especially loved the personalized puzzles.
They also requested some less personalized, more educational puzzles about “generic” options, such as sports teams, lighthouses and more, to have even more options to choose from. Young anticipates creating a library filled with a variety of such options to expand Jigsawdio’s market fit.
Young was pleasantly surprised with the reactions and results of the study, with most participants saying they wanted more of what the puzzle could offer. People with Alzheimer’s or dementia often develop apathy, resulting in lack of motivation and increased depression, so overcoming that is a major positive.
Jigsawdio’s pilot study found a material improvement in quality-of-life aspects such as mood and emotional state. The study also showed an average four-point increase on the MoCa test, which is a memory assessment to detect mild cognitive impairment or early signs of dementia. Scores of between 18-25 indicate mild cognitive impairment, 10-17 moderate impairment and fewer than 10 severe impairment.
“Older people are more likely to do a puzzle that they’re touching, as opposed to touching it on an iPad screen,” Young said. “There’s a lot of research supporting the fact that touching and tactile activities are good for them, their mood and their brain’s cognition.”
Jigsawdio’s innovative product that combines reminiscent therapies and interactive activities has grabbed attention, landing the startup a $500K SBIR Grant from the National Institute of Health in 2022. This grant enabled them to launch their study and also funded later research and product development.
Unique approach
Their unique approach also stands out compared to other existing solutions.
While other forms of reminiscent therapy have generally seen positive results, Young said the declining rate of geriatric caregivers poses a rising issue of disconnection between the senior and this—essentially—stranger who is asking them about their families and lives, when the senior could be unsure.
Other products such as digital frames allow others to send the user messages or photos, but these can lack the engaging, multi-sensory components that people with Alzheimer’s can need in order to absorb the information. Much like within classrooms, you’re less likely to absorb information if you’re just being lectured at.
With Jigsawdio, people with Alzheimer’s can also benefit from the multi-generational engagement where their families can easily tell them stories and fond memories.
It’s long been observed that those suffering with Alzheimer’s are generally better able to remember stories from the past as opposed to short-term memories. That fits well with Jigsawdio’s trip-down-memory-lane approach.
“They might not be able to remember last week, but their strength is that they are able to tell stories about their life,” Young said, “which can be beneficial to making them feel good about being able to share those stories.”
Jigsawdio is currently in their pre-market stage, but they plan to continue to develop and plan another version of their puzzle product to be lower in cost and to be used in other cognitive impairment areas, such as from traumatic brain injuries. They are preparing to reapply for the Phase Two NIH grant in order to further research into product development and product-market fit.
“With a customized hardware and software like this, it’s going to be longer progression than I’d obviously like it to be,” Young said. “But, I’m hoping for much larger returns because we’re going to have further research behind it. Older people provide much benefits and influence to younger generations, so I want to do our part into making sure that they are provided with the right care, backed by the right evidence and product.”
