Have you ever seen a green glass pumpkin? I hadn’t either until I was one of the Lady-Links at a Show and Tell visit to a dear friend recently. I was intrigued, as was our dear friend, at the pumpkin and the story behind it. The Lady-Link who brought it talked about her “green glass” collection and how she came to buy this hand-blown piece by an artist who is well known in his local community in a small New England village. This inspired conversation about pumpkins (real or otherwise), things that are made of glass, and things that are usually the color green. Perfect. That was exactly our “purpose”…..to engage our dear friend in conversation.
Show and Tell is a way to connect with our dear friends by sparking a memory from the past and/or eliciting a response based on the “here and now.” For example, a high school charm bracelet was used to remind our dear friend of her high school activities. Seeing the bracelet, she contributed to the conversation about what was typical to do “back in the day” in high school. As for the “here and now” she said the bracelet was pretty and should continue to be worn. That led to other discussions about what jewelry was popular now and “back then.” (Remember wearing your boyfriend’s “ring on a chain around your neck” when you went steady?) That led to a fun discussion about boyfriends, the cars they had and where we went on dates. This kind of “Girl Talk” always brings lots of giggles which is exactly what we want when we visit our dear friends…love, laughter and fun in an activity that keeps all of us engaged.
Jewelry is always a good item to bring as it fits so well into both the “then” and “now” categories, plus there’s always a good story behind each piece of jewelry that can lead to opening more topics of discussion….who gave it to us or where/when did we get it, where was it worn, what the piece represents, how often we wear it….and the list is endless. A great way to engage a person with cognitive issues.
Prompting memories that help our dear friends engage in conversation is made easier when the object can be held. Our Show and Tell items are selected to be easy to hold and passed around between the Lady-Links and our dear friends. Memories from childhood are ones that seem to remain longest, so items that connect in one way or another to our dear friend’s early years will always inspire the most conversation
Music
Antiques
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Things we Did as Children (Remember weaving these on a loom?)
Fine China or Display Pieces
Items from a Garden (We actually grew this cotton in our community’s garden area.)
Things We Collect.
From Holiday Items to Hobby Items and everything in between, Show and Tell is a great conversation starter. Plus it’s a sure way to form connections, past and present.
The Lady-Links always find ways to “link” through love and laughter, and Show and Tell visits are one of the best ways to do just that!
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