What is Gentle Recall?
Gentle Recall provides simple and respectful recall prompts designed to encourage meaningful connection for people experiencing cognitive decline and those who care for them.
What is a Recall Prompt?
Think about all those familiar sayings, or idioms, which seem to have been a part of our lives “forever.” Now, envision each one with the last word set off to the side:
Roses are red, violets are… blue.
Read the first part aloud. The goal is to have the person in your care who is living with cognitive decline give you that last word.
How Is Gentle Recall Used?
Each Gentle Recall volume contains 20 recall prompts. Some volumes are random topics, while others follow a specific theme. The best part of Gentle Recall is that it can be used in any manner that works best for you. For example:
- Use your computer or mobile device to view a Gentle Recall volume directly.
- Download a PDF to your computer and use it from there.
- Print the PDF to use where online access isn’t convenient.
- Play the YouTube videos for a gently animated version of each Gentle Recall volume.
You get the idea. From one-on-one to group events, there are many ways to use this FREE tool, depending on your unique situation.
Guided Reminiscence
An additional activity associated with using Gentle Recall is Guided Reminiscence. Once the topic is introduced for recall (Roses are red, violets are…), use the opportunity to dive deeper into the topic with some carefully chosen, thought-provoking questions. For example:
- What is your favorite flower?
- Describe the first time you received/gave flowers?
- What was the most beautiful flower you ever grew?
Tailor the questions to the individual’s background the best you can. Try to avoid “yes/no” questions to really expand the recall benefits. (See more about benefits below.)
Fun New Game
You may need to introduce Gentle Recall not as a “helpful activity” but as a “fun new game.” It can be for the two of you, or an entire group. Simply read the phrase and wait patiently and quietly for them to consider and respond.
If you happen to be working with a person or group with a somewhat higher cognition level, prompt them with fewer words, asking them to complete more of the phrase. You may not need to read the entire phrase.
Another option is to speak the prompting words at the beginning of the phrase slowly, allowing them to complete it as soon as it comes to them. Have them shout it out!
Competition could be a good thing – in certain group conditions!
Who Should Use Gentle Recall?
There are many caregiving situations that can benefit from a gently stimulating recall activity. Here’s just a short list:
- Family and professional caregivers
- Activity Directors in assisted living and memory care communities
- Respite care providers
- Adult day program facilitators
- …and many, many more.
Give Gentle Recall a try. You’ll enjoy the meaningful connections!
The Benefits of Recall
When we experience something, many, many bits of information gets stored in various ways and in various locations in our brains. Science tells us recalling trivia or having our memories “prompted to recall” reassembles those fragments of recollections stored in multiple parts of the brain.
The result? A recalled memory.
How Does Recall Work?
Recalling a memory is like assembling the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. During memory recall, we replay the neural activity that was originally generated in the brain to store it when that event occurred.
For those of you of a “certain age” you may remember the DEFRAG command on old PCs. This took the various pieces of files stored on the hard drive and reassembled them in contiguous areas on the drive. This helped the computer find the files more quickly when needed. (Sorry for geeking out, but it really is a similar process!)
When our brains are done with that bit of recall, we put it back into memory, thereby strengthening it for the next recall! You can learn more about the science from The Human Memory.
We’ve all had those moments:
- A certain taste takes us back to our childhood.
- That song we haven’t heard in years and it reminds us about the elementary school dance.
- Trying to come up with that actor’s name in that movie you love, and how good it feels when you finally “GET IT!”
Trivia Spans Generations
Jeopardy originally aired in 1964. 1964! While it was off the air from 1975 to 1984, it’s been on the air ever since. Even the Jeopardy theme music gets hummed in our household when we are teasing a family member about how long something is taking!
Why is trivia fun? It’s challenging, competitive, and as we’ve already learned, recalling information is healthy!
A penny saved is a penny…
For Our International Friends
It is understood the phrases contained in Gentle Recall are mostly U.S.-centric. However, it is great to have friends and followers from all around the world.
Please feel free to use Gentle Recall to any extent possible. Then, use them to get creative and add your own phrases appropriate for you in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and beyond. The phrases may be different, but the benefits are the same!
Send Us Yours!
You can help us help you! We have many, MANY Gentle Recall prompts ready to provide to you, but we absolutely don’t have them all. Think about the phrases you, your parents, and your grandparents used to say. Please drop us a note to be added to future volumes.
Everyone contributes; everyone benefits.
Enjoy Gentle Recall! The hope is that you will have as much fun and beneficial experiences using them, as was enjoyed when gathering them!
Subscribe For New Volume Alerts
JADCOM Compass
JADCOM Media is the parent company of Gentle Recall. The “Compass” is an occasional email sent to alert subscribers to new information on JADCOM websites. By subscribing and choosing “Gentle Recall” you can get an email update each time a new volume is published.
YouTube Channel
When visiting the Gentle Recall YouTube channel, be sure to hit the SUBSCRIBE button. That way, you’ll get a notice each time a new video is published.