What an amazing story! This quilt is darling, too.
So sorry to hear about your Grannie and the Alzheimer's. Have you ever read anything by Ami Simms? She is a quilt humorist whose mother also had Alzheimer's and she is very much involved with raising awareness of Alzheimer's. Here is her blog, just in case you are interested in reading about her.
http://amisimms.wordpress.com/