Sisters take lead with 4-H project to help those with memory loss

While other kids use their time off school to play and relax, Flathead Valley sisters Jubilee and Jayne McLean have been hard at work on projects that aim to improve the lives of those struggling with memory loss and people who use wheelchairs.

The girls put their sewing talents into action. For her 4-H service project, 12-year-old Jubilee has been creating fidget aprons for those with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. Jayne, 10, is sewing quilts designed for those in wheelchairs.

Jubilee took inspiration from her grandmother, who had made a fidget apron for a friend of hers who had Alzheimer's. The apron was full of familiar motions: buttons to undo, zippers, and beads to fiddle with, along with other creative elements.

Jubilee explained in a speech to her Dandy Dudes and Dolls 4-H club that her grandmother's friend loved to busy her hands and was always going through drawers. At one point, the friend was given a box filled with things to occupy her hands, but the objects too often fell to the floor. She nearly fell out of her wheelchair attempting to reclaim them. Fidget aprons seemed to be the perfect solution. Following her grandmother's lead, Jubilee broached the idea of producing fidget aprons to the other Dandy Dudes and Dolls members, who also took interest in the newly formed project.

THE FIRST step was research. Each aspect of the aprons was researched with meticulous attention to detail. For example, Jubilee explained, "Fabrics like velvet, lace, fleece, and satin are comforting as they run their fingers over them… Using a variety of colors on a neutral background makes the apron exciting and fun to look at without being overwhelming."

In the same speech to her 4-H club, she emphasized that because dementia includes confusion, it's especially important that the elements on the apron are comforting without inducing anxiety or fear, as an image of a bug or snake could.

After weeks of research, Jubilee and her 4-H club set out to gather materials. They searched thrift stores top to bottom, while other materials were donated. Using belts, zippers, buttons, ribbons, beads, and a lot of fabric, the group produced 24 aprons. Each took over eight hours to create. Most of the work was done individually, as the Covid-19 pandemic prevented the group from meeting for long periods of time.

The aprons are now ready to be entered at the Northwest Montana Fair, where the project will be judged and the aprons donated. Half will be donated to the Montana Veterans Home, and the rest to another memory care facility.

"The most rewarding part was seeing how the aprons can slow dementia," Jubilee said. She explained how sensory stimulation, especially from familiar motions like those provided on the aprons, can help those with dementia remain comfortable and independent.

Alongside Jubilee, Jayne is doing her part to help the community. In the cold Montana winter, Jayne and her Dandy Dudes and Dolls 4-H club recognized a need for wheelchair-friendly blankets. With careful attention to size, fabric and cost, Jayne designed quilts that sit atop the user's lap without falling and getting stuck in the wheels. Jayne and her family produced 15 of these quilts over the winter, which they then donated to the Lake View Care Center in February. Jayne will present the quilts as her 4-H service project at the fair in August. Her favorite part, she said, is being able to give them away.

After describing the project to her 4-H group, Jayne left them with a simple message: "Find something you can do for someone else." In her speech, Jubilee, too, emphasized the importance of using one's talents to serve others. And that is exactly what the two sisters and the Dandy Dudes and Dolls did.

Reporter Katie Lessmeier may be reached at klessmeier@dailyinterlake.com.