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Newsletter Articles - Safe Return |
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Locate Man Who Wandered from Home A Northern Virginia man who suffers from Alzheimer�s disease recently wandered from his home but was found within four hours, thanks to the Safe Return program, efforts of his wife, and quick response by local police. Eddie White, who lives with his wife Debra, walked out of their home late one afternoon a few days before Christmas, 1997. Debra, who works at a hospital in Washington and calls Eddie several times each day to check on him, couldn�t reach him. She rushed home, finding it empty. Since Eddie is registered with the Safe Return Program, she called it first, then local police. Four hours later, Arlington County Police found Eddie in Pentagon City, nearly six miles from their home. Thanks to an unusually warm early winter, Eddie did not risk the rigors of cold temperatures. This story had a happy ending, though not every situation does. Statistics show that those who are registered in the Safe Return program have a much greater chance of being found and returned safely to their loved ones than those who are not registered. An estimated 70 percent of the four million Americans with Alzheimer�s will wander at some point, often leaving home and unable to find their way back. The Alzheimer�s Association Safe Return program is a way for caregivers of someone with Alzheimer�s disease or other dementia to register their loved one in a national database. Registered persons are indexed by age, name, address, physical description and medical condition. This information is kept confidential and only authorized personnel have access to it. Safe Return provides registrants and their families with a personalized bracelet and other identification materials, and stores contact information in a national computerized database. The program�s nationwide, toll-free 800-number, listed on the bracelet, is linked to a network of 17,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide. "Safe Return enables police, community service agencies and private citizens to identify people with Alzheimer�s disease who have wandered, and help them return home," said Jane Priest, LPN, Patient and Family Services director for the Alzheimer�s Association, Northern Virginia Chapter. "People with Alzheimer�s disease wander for a variety of reasons," said Ms. Priest. "They may be searching for someone or something familiar, such as where they used ot live or work. They may need something, such as food, water, a bathroom or companionship, and can�t communicate about it, so they set out to find it. They may be restless or afraid." Confused and sometimes unable to ask for help, Alzheimer's individuals who wander off and become lost are at risk from weather, traffic and those who prey on the vulnerable. Some have driven thousands of miles from home, while others have died from exposure a short distance from their doorsteps. Registration in Safe Return costs $40. A caregiver's bracelet is also available for $5. For more information, call the Northern Virginia Chapter of the Alzheimer�s Association at (703) 359-4440. In addition to Safe Return, the Association helps caregivers with information and techniques for preventing or reducing the likelihood of wandering.
Last updated: April 30, 1998
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