Smell and Memory Kit | Smell Recall Connect | Alzheimer's & Dementia – The Scent Guru Group
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Innovative Multi-Sensory Tool Kits For Families, Caregivers, Seniors & Children

The Scent Guru Group’s Essential Awakenings™ Smell.Recall.Connect and Mindscent™ Smell.Discover.Connect Tool Kits were created to help engage seniors, caregivers, and children in stimulating and critical thinking activities such as memory recall games and as a tool to prompt socialization, conversation, learning and storytelling.  

The Essential Smells© (aromas of Grass, Lilac, Chocolate for example) have been thoughtfully developed by professional scent developer, Ruth Sutcliffe during 2 years of volunteer and exploratory work with seniors living in memory care communities and people living with speech communication impairments such as autism. 

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An Essential Awakenings® Smelling Session At The Greens Of Greenwich

Testimonials

"I bought the Essential Awakenings® Kit as a Christmas gift for my grandfather with Alzheimer's.  It ended up being a gift for the whole family! The scents are very distinguishable and the conversation cards that came with the kit helped us to guide the discussion.  Thank you Ruth for going above and beyond making sure that I had the gift in time for Christmas!  It was true joy!" 

Jacqui A., NYC

Essential Awakenings® with Ruth is a fun and important experience for residents at any facility. The scents that Ruth creates elicit memories for our residents, and inspire socialization through conversation about what scents appeal to which people... I am honored to incorporate Essential Awakenings into our programming; it adds so much to the sensory experience we hope to offer those in their last stage of life. 

Beth Liebowitz, Program Director & Dance Therapist, The Greens At Greenwich, CT

"I use this kit to help me pause, reflect and to help strengthen my sense of smell. To get to the point of smelling five out of six scents, it has taken me a little over five weeks.  Never knew how much I took my sense of smell for granted. I hope this kit helps you and helps you bond further with your family." 

Rosanel Rosario, Aneurysm Survivor, New York City

"Ruth has enhanced the lives of our residents with her smelling sessions. The scents have helped them to remember special times in their lives and to discuss it in a group. It is a truly therapeutic and relaxing hour. I am grateful for Ruth's program.” 

Elanit Linder, Elder Care Professional and ReM(i) Culture CEO, Stamford, CT

"Morningside of Springdale wanted to take the time to thank you for such a wonderful event.  So many of the residents were reminded of times gone by with the smells you presented.  I very much enjoyed the opportunity you offered our area with you amazing skills.  Please come visit anytime and bring your smell goods for memories.” 

Jeanie Melear, Lifestyle 360 Director, Morningside of Springdale, AR
Essential Awakenings® Session at Atria of Stamford, CT

It all began in September, 2016 when I gave my first Essential Awakenings® session at an Atria Memory Care Community in Stamford, CT. Their favorites? Pineapple, lilac and chocolate!

The carefully selected smell prompts are perfect tools to prompt storytelling. Essential Awakenings® Customized Kits are now available just by select the 6 smell prompts that resonate with your own family experiences! It's a perfect activity for holiday gatherings!

Testimonial - Jacqui: shares her experience after using the Essential Awakenings® Smell Kit with her grandfather who has Alzheimers.

Families, Caregivers, and Assisted Living Communities will find Essential Awakenings® a fun new activity to engage seniors in socialization.

The Scent Guru Blog

The MindScent® Activity At Bentonville's Amazeum Was Smell.Discover.Connect Fun!

The MindScent® Activity At Bentonville's Amazeum Was Smell.Discover.Connect Fun!

The MindScent® area was abuzz and I think that all attendees enjoyed reading the various comments by others before them. One response that triggered my own memory was for the smell of bread: "smells like the bread at Macaroni Grill" --where I often took my girls for family night out while living in Middletown, NJ.  I'm not sure if that Macaroni Grill is still on Highway 35, but we sure enjoyed the smell and taste of their homemade bread!  
Essential Awakenings® And MindScent® Sensory Kits Are Perfect For Holiday Giving

Essential Awakenings® And MindScent® Sensory Kits Are Perfect For Holiday Giving

The holiday shopping season is here, and I'll be showcasing MindScent® and Essential Awakenings® sensory tool kits at this week's WBDC's Pop Up Shop in Stamford, Connecticut. Even though I've developed MindScent® and Essential Awakenings® for Speech, Occupational and Recreational Therapists, families can also benefit and have fun playing smell and tell, or guessing games. MindScent® also includes fact cards great for learning.  For instance, did you know that the Providence, RI metro area has been cited as having the most donut shops per capita with 25.3 shops per 100,000 people? And that it takes almost 3 years for a single pineapple to reach maturation?
My Experience At ASHA 2019

My Experience At ASHA 2019

Shifting Paradigms:  This month's final blog is about my experience at the National ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) convention in Orlando.  Every new experience is new learning for this 60+ entrepreneur who is just trying to help humankind in a very unique and innovative way.

Ruth Sutcliffe Conducting a Smelling Session at The Greens At Greenwich

For Caregivers and Program Directors:  The Essential Awakenings® sessions are easy and instinctive to facilitate!  Let the smell prompts guide you: There is nothing more gratifying than being able to interact, guide conversations and activate storytelling with seniors!

Photo Courtesy of The Greens At Greenwich in Greenwich, CT

Watch our Smelling session at river house adult day center

Smelling Session at River House Adult Care Center

Thank you to River House Adult Day Center, located in Cos Cob, CT for inviting me to share the Essential Awakenings® Smell Therapy Session with their clientele! Their favorite smell prompts have been the smell of apples (baking apple pies, picking apples with their family in the fall).