SWGSweetwater Groves Residential Assisted Living
Scottsdale, AZ
Scottsdale, AZ
Memory Studio · Late stage
Late stageCommon Ground10–20 minutes2 pages to print
A Tray of Things to Touch and Hear
One tray, five or six familiar objects, and no instructions. For visits where conversation is no longer the way in.
A Tray of Things to Touch and Hear
One tray, five or six familiar objects, and no instructions. For visits where conversation is no longer the way in.
Build the tray
- Something smooth and cool — a river stone, a glass paperweight
- Something soft — a folded flannel shirt, a wool scarf
- Something with a small sound — a tin of buttons, a set of keys
- Something with grain — a wooden spoon, a worn handle
- Something warm — a cloth from the dryer
- Something familiar to them specifically — a work glove, a rosary, a coin purse
How to offer it
One object at a time. Long gaps in between.
| Moment | What to say | What to do and watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Show first | "Look what I brought." | Hold it where their eyes already are, not where you are standing. |
| Offer into an open palm | Name it once: "That's wool." | Do not close their fingers around it for them. |
| Wait | Nothing. | Thirty seconds is not too long. Most responses come after the silence. |
| Take it back gently | "I'll hold that." | Then offer the next. Stop after three if attention has drifted. |