Quilters have long known that a quilt is a loving tribute that bonds quilters with recipients across generations and across vast distances. The warmth of a quilt is enhanced by the often bright patterns and colorful images which frequently suggest a simpler time.

Under a unique donation program organized by Jeffree Itrich of the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS) and the University of California San Diego, quilts are brightening the lives of Alzheimer’s patients around the nation.

The Alzheimer’s Study Quilt Program began in late January 2010. As a quilter herself, Jeffree knows how positively people react when given a quilt and how quilters are amazingly generous people. Her plea for quilts to give participants in the NGF (Nerve Growth Factor) Study was picked up by numerous quilting newsletters. Good Samaritans circulated the request for quilts and they began arriving from communities all over the U.S. The program has received nearly enough quilts for all the NGF Study participants and are now looking for quilts for their IgIV and ADNI studies. (They’ll need at least 1,760 quilts!)

Those study participants who have received quilts so far realize that the quilts were made with love, sincerity, and gratitude (to the volunteers for participating in the study and helping future generations). Many of the quilters who donated quilts had family members with Alzheimer’s (AD). One woman who lost her mother to AD made and donated 12 quilts and another whose grandfather had AD provided 11 quilts. A woman in Pennsylvania made five flannel quilts in one week!

One study coordinator (the person who works directly with the study participants) had a woman come to her appointment angry and in a terrible mood (Alzheimer’s frequently causes behavioral changes). She was ready to chew out the study coordinator. But before she could say anything the study coordinator gave her one of the quilts. The woman calmed down immediately and forgot all about her anger.

Another study coordinator gave a quilt to a participant who was undergoing an MRI (an imaging test). It was very cold in the room so the study coordinator gave her a quilt to keep her warm. The woman was both touched and grateful and her daughter’s eyes filled with tears. These quilts are doing wonders for the patients!

If you would like to donate a lap-sized quilt to the Alzheimer’s Quilt Study Project, please contact Jeffree Itrich. To learn more about the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study visit their website at www.adcs.org. You may create a quilt with a pattern of your choice or try your hand at making an Alzheimer’s Fidget Quilt (click here for a tutorial).

Please spread the word in your guilds, sewing circles, blogs, Facebook and Twitter networks. Together we can make a difference in the lives of Alzheimer’s patients and their families and caregivers. Thanks!