The body’s physical and mental decline associated with aging varies from person to person, but common issues can be a decline in memory, difficulty learning new things and trouble focusing from one task to another.  Research shows that people who stay intellectually engaged are more likely to maintain their mental acuity.  Quilting has been done for years to provide warm blankets for families, but in the last few decades retirees have turned to quilting to help fill the time gap after retirement, to express creativity, and for the health benefits of relieving stress and increasing their social interaction.  Quilting has also been proven to help with the effects of aging since it is challenging, demands concentration and participants learn new skills.  The Jabez Quilt Seminar (JQS) is a state-wide quilting seminar held every January for the last 13 years.  The 5-day conference is planned and coordinated by an advisory council consisting of the Rockcastle County FCS Agent, the Laurel County FCS Agent and seven volunteers.  This past year 110 participants had the opportunity to attend 26 classes that were offered by instructors from across the country.  Attendees were challenged with quilt classes that improved their spatial reasoning, problem solving skills, hand-eye coordination, color coordination and as an added benefit, provided opportunity to develop personal relationships.  In a written evaluation, 76 of the participants reported the following as a direct result of attending the conference:

• 99% stated that the classes offered stimulated their learning

• 95% stated that they had learned something new and increased their skill level

• 95% stated that their confidence in themselves had been increased due to the program

• 94% stated that they will use the information learned for their personal satisfaction

• 96% stated that they will use the information learned to make future quilts

• 68% stated that they will use the information learned to teach others the art of quilting

When asked what they liked about JQS, participants stated:  interacting with people from all over the state and learning new skills. One participant said JQS empowers me!