Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Set to Unveil Quilt to Remember

New York Debut Tied to 100th Anniversary of Alzheimer’s Disease

When Pamela Reim of Leaburg, OR learned that the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) was creating a massive quilt to memorialize individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, she was excited on two fronts: she is a quilter by trade and this project marks a way to “do something meaningful” to honor her best friend’s mother, who passed away last year from Alzheimer’s disease.

"For someone who uses quilting as their artistic means of expression, it’s a way to express feelings. Making quilts is our response to good events, bad events, crises,” she said.

Reim’s quilt panel is one of hundreds that will make up the AFA Quilt to Remember—the nation’s first dementia-related quilt that will continually grow in size with ongoing contributions.

The AFA Quilt to Remember will be unveiled in Central Park in New York City on November 3 and 4. It debuts in a year that marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Alzheimer’s disease, during National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month in November.

The quilt will then tour the country for years to come, including initial stops in Dallas, Chicago and Los Angeles in 2007.

"These quilts truly represent the fabric of people’s lives—their pasts, their present and their hope for the future. They are an outpouring of emotion that will help us raise the nation’s consciousness about the heartbreaking impact of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Eric J. Hall, AFA’s chief executive officer.

“Just like The AIDS Memorial Quilt, our goal is to bring this quilt about Alzheimer’s disease to the heart of America. It will be a powerful symbol of loss and sorrow, yet at the same time a banner of strength and unity,” he added.

The mission of the AFA Quilt to Remember is to pay tribute to individuals who passed away from Alzheimer’s disease or who currently have the disease, and to honor caregivers and healthcare professionals. It is also intended to serve as a therapeutic outlet for caregivers, and to help spark memories and provide social stimulation to those with the disease who get involved in creating a panel.

An estimated five million Americans currently have Alzheimer’s disease, and the number is expected to triple by mid-century. The brain disorder primarily affects older people, including one in ten Americans aged 65 and older, and nearly one in two aged 85 and older.

So far, AFA has garnered nearly 300 commitments from individuals and organizations since it announced the AFA Quilt to Remember late last year. Panels made by individuals measure four feet square and those from organizations are eight feet square.

Nearly 100 panels have already been received at AFA’s headquarters in New York City. Some arrive with photographs—even whole photo albums, and stories that document the creation of the quilts and tell about their meaning.

Each has its own distinct feel.

Reim’s quilt, which she entitled “Many Suns,” follows the Alzheimer’s journey of her friend’s mother, Jean Riddle, who lived in Pasadena, CA. The panel features a huge sun in each corner, beginning with a brightly lit one and ending with a setting sun.

As well, the completed panels emphasize the enormity of the disease and the varied lives touched by it from all across the country.

In Westbury, NY, Karen Henley and her two children pieced together mementos that reflect her husband, Michael, “and the life we all once had,” she said. Diagnosed at 36 years old, her husband has the familial type of Alzheimer’s disease, known as early onset, which appears at a young age.

“While it was sad at times, there were also many laughs, and by creating this ‘piece of artwork,’ it gave us the opportunity to reflect on where we started in the beginning of this disease and where we all are now,” Henley said.

In Annandale, VA, Carol Rychlik divided her panel into quarters; each corner offers a glimpse of the life of four of her maternal aunts, three who passed away from Alzheimer’s disease and one currently living with it. For Rychlik, this project was the most meaningful of the 50+ quilts she has designed in the past three decades.

"It was hard to give it up,” she said.

In Wayne, NJ, a colorful quilt contributed by Arden Courts depicts a family tree with leaves that note each of the names of past and current residents of the assisted living community. According to Amy Depreker, the facility’s executive director, the project was therapeutic both for family members and those with the disease.

“Even though the residents are suffering from memory loss, it is amazing to see that they have not lost the skill and knowledge to stitch and put the quilt together,” she said.

In Edna, TX, Rebecca Romano scoured fabric stores in her town and on the Internet for specific patterns that express her father’s life: blue bonnets, the flowers he tended in his garden; his favorite Bible scripture; symbols of the United States Navy; and cowboy boots, a tribute to his wannabe career. Interspersed with photographs, a poem and his pin from the Navy, the prints now adorn a patriotic quilt that “speaks” about her dad, Joy Elton Lee Haley. Haley was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease 18 months ago.

“I never got to do anything quite like this for my dad. I can’t find the words how it made my heart feel,” Romano said.

Then the project got even more emotional. Before shipping the finished panel to AFA’s New York headquarters earlier this month, Romano showed it to her 79-year-old dad.

“He didn’t know it was for Alzheimer’s, and he just cried when he looked at it,” she recalled.

AFA will continue to accept quilt panels on an ongoing basis. To find out about contributing a panel, visit www.alzquilt.org or call (toll-free) 866-AFA-8484.


The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America is a national nonprofit organization based in New York that is focused on providing optimal care to individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and their families. AFA’s services include a toll-free hot line, counseling, bilingual educational materials, and a free caregiver magazine. For information, visit www.alzfdn.org or call (toll-free) 866-AFA-8484.