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The missing Alzheimer’s patient
When someone with Alzheimer’s disease wanders and becomes lost, it is a frightening experience for both the patient and his or her family. An Alzheimer’s Search and Rescue training for county wide police and fire officials took place in Pittsfield on September 30. The presenters were Gerald Flaherty, Director of Special Projects, Alzheimer’s Association, Massachusetts Chapter, and Curt Rudge, Chief of Ranger Services and Director of Search Management, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Flaherty and Rudge provided information on: how and where police and fire officials should search for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, the average area that should be searched, specific questions to ask about the missing patient, and the importance of acting quickly and according to a predefined plan when the first report comes in.
It is hard to predict when an Alzheimer’s patient will wander and become lost. A caregiver can take the following steps to prevent wandering:
Structure the day - Establish daily routines that include simple activities and exercise, such as sweeping the floor, folding towels, cutting coupons, listening to music, dancing or going for a walk.
Make your home safe - make sure window and door locks are out of reach and sight. Place locks high or low on the doors. An Alzheimer’s patient doesn’t usually look for locks in different places. You can also put an electronic buzzer or bell that goes off when the door is opened, and place hedges or a fence with a locked gate around your yard.
Talk to your neighbors - inform your neighbors, staff in senior residence or retirement community. Ask them to call you if they see your loved one outside without supervision.
Survey the neighborhood - Identify dangerous areas near the home, such as bodies of water, open stairwells, dense foliage, tunnels, bus stops, and heavy traffic roads. Check these places first if someone becomes lost.
Register in the Safe Return Program - Tell your local police about your loved one’s potential for wandering. Register them in the Safe Return Program and let police know that this program can assist them in locating or returning someone who has wandered.
The Safe Return Program provides:
• A national, 24 hour, toll free number to contact when someone is lost or found.
• Identification products for the memory impaired, including a bracelet or necklace, and wallet ID card. These products alert others that the individual is memory impaired and may need assistance and also lists the Safe Return 24 hour crisis number.
• Registration in a national database which includes important information that can be accessed quickly when someone wanders and gets lost. This information can be critical in helping law enforcement agencies and others in their search.
• Connection to more than 200 community-based Alzheimer’s Association chapters across the country that offer assistance and support. Some chapters have scholarship programs to help pay for the registration fee.
Registration is required for the Safe Return Program. Forms are also available at Elder Services. Contact Bea Cowlin, Caregiver Liaison at 499-0524 or 800-544-5242, extension 113. You can also obtain a registration form by contacting your local Alzheimer’s Association at 800- 272-3900, or by downloading this form from the Association’s web site at http://www.alz.org.
Some information in this article taken with permission from an Alzheimer’s Association brochure entitled “Steps To Ensuring Safety: Preventing Wandering And Getting Lost.”