Gene Saunders
President and Chief Executive Officer
Project Lifesaver International
Project Lifesaver International, Inc., www.projectlifesaver.org, thanks the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee for voting 14 to 5 in favor of H.R. 908, a bill to reauthorize the Missing Alzheimer’s Disease Patient Alert Program. We especially thank Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) for his leadership and support of this Department of Justice grant program that funds efforts to help locate missing persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
It is not uncommon for missing persons with dementia to wander across jurisdictions and even across state lines, which makes this a federal issue. In addition, Medicaid and Medicare Alzheimer’s disease costs are both expected to soar 400 to 600 percent by 2050. A $5 million investment/year in helping to locate those who wander will go a long way toward delaying costly institutionalization.
Remote patient monitoring devices could reduce U.S. healthcare costs by nearly $200 billion during the next 25 years if they were more widely used. Medicare could save $12 billion annually if these devices were used to prevent hospital readmissions. (Source: “Technologies for Remote Patient Monitoring in Older Adults,” Technology and Aging, May 2010, www.techandaging.org).
An estimated 70 million baby boomers will be 65 or older in 2029, and by 2029, at current rates of prevalence, 9.1 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s disease (Source: National Alzheimer’s Association, 2010). Nearly 60% of people with Alzheimer’s disease wander during the average 8 year progression of the disease. Many wander repeatedly, and 46% will die if not located within 24 hours. (Source: “Lost Person Behavior,” Robert J. Koester, 2008.)
This means that in the years to come, wandering associated with Alzheimer’s disease will place enormous physical, emotional, and financial burdens on a growing number of American families, their communities, and the nation.
Typical law enforcement searches for missing persons with dementia (not using Project Lifesaver) drain time and resources. According to an analysis by the Stokes County, NC Search and Rescue Agency, the average search and rescue for a missing person with Alzheimer’s disease takes 9 hours and costs the average agency $1,500 per hour. Searches may take up to days or weeks in some cases. Many public safety agencies, especially smaller ones in rural areas, do not budget for search and rescue.
The Missing Alzheimer’s Disease Patient Alert Program has allowed programs such as Project Lifesaver International to help public safety agencies search shorter and smarter, and in the process save money, time, resources, and lives. One search using Project Lifesaver in almost all cases pays for itself. Project Lifesaver International places personalized radio transmitters on the wrist or ankle of identified persons. These transmitters are waterproof and cannot be removed. Average search and rescue time is less than 30 minutes for the more than 2,125 recoveries accomplished since Project Lifesaver’s inception.
Project Lifesaver International was established in April 1999 as an initiative of the 43rd Search and Rescue Company of the Chesapeake Sheriff’s office. It is available through 1,128 agencies (Law Enforcement, Fire, Emergency Services and more) in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Australia and Canada. In FY ’09 more than 75% of Project Lifesaver’s funding through the Missing Alzheimer’s Disease Patient Alert Program was passed on to local public safety agencies for free search and rescue equipment and training and to families for free transmitters.
The National Sheriff’s Association and more than 175 public safety agencies across the country support H.R. 908. The active attention and involvement of law enforcement with that family sends a powerful message to those in the community who might mistreat or victimize these vulnerable citizens. As we struggle with budgetary reductions across the country, these devices allow many families to keep wandering patients at home and avoid or delay costly nursing home care.
Project Lifesaver looks forward to working with Chairman Leahy and Majority Leader Harry Reid to bring H.R. 908 to a floor vote soon.
Statement From CEO – Regarding HR 908
Gene Saunders
President and Chief Executive Officer
Project Lifesaver International
Project Lifesaver International, Inc., www.projectlifesaver.org, thanks the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee for voting 14 to 5 in favor of H.R. 908, a bill to reauthorize the Missing Alzheimer’s Disease Patient Alert Program. We especially thank Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) for his leadership and support of this Department of Justice grant program that funds efforts to help locate missing persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
It is not uncommon for missing persons with dementia to wander across jurisdictions and even across state lines, which makes this a federal issue. In addition, Medicaid and Medicare Alzheimer’s disease costs are both expected to soar 400 to 600 percent by 2050. A $5 million investment/year in helping to locate those who wander will go a long way toward delaying costly institutionalization.
Remote patient monitoring devices could reduce U.S. healthcare costs by nearly $200 billion during the next 25 years if they were more widely used. Medicare could save $12 billion annually if these devices were used to prevent hospital readmissions. (Source: “Technologies for Remote Patient Monitoring in Older Adults,” Technology and Aging, May 2010, www.techandaging.org).
An estimated 70 million baby boomers will be 65 or older in 2029, and by 2029, at current rates of prevalence, 9.1 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s disease (Source: National Alzheimer’s Association, 2010). Nearly 60% of people with Alzheimer’s disease wander during the average 8 year progression of the disease. Many wander repeatedly, and 46% will die if not located within 24 hours. (Source: “Lost Person Behavior,” Robert J. Koester, 2008.)
This means that in the years to come, wandering associated with Alzheimer’s disease will place enormous physical, emotional, and financial burdens on a growing number of American families, their communities, and the nation.
Typical law enforcement searches for missing persons with dementia (not using Project Lifesaver) drain time and resources. According to an analysis by the Stokes County, NC Search and Rescue Agency, the average search and rescue for a missing person with Alzheimer’s disease takes 9 hours and costs the average agency $1,500 per hour. Searches may take up to days or weeks in some cases. Many public safety agencies, especially smaller ones in rural areas, do not budget for search and rescue.
The Missing Alzheimer’s Disease Patient Alert Program has allowed programs such as Project Lifesaver International to help public safety agencies search shorter and smarter, and in the process save money, time, resources, and lives. One search using Project Lifesaver in almost all cases pays for itself. Project Lifesaver International places personalized radio transmitters on the wrist or ankle of identified persons. These transmitters are waterproof and cannot be removed. Average search and rescue time is less than 30 minutes for the more than 2,125 recoveries accomplished since Project Lifesaver’s inception.
Project Lifesaver International was established in April 1999 as an initiative of the 43rd Search and Rescue Company of the Chesapeake Sheriff’s office. It is available through 1,128 agencies (Law Enforcement, Fire, Emergency Services and more) in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Australia and Canada. In FY ’09 more than 75% of Project Lifesaver’s funding through the Missing Alzheimer’s Disease Patient Alert Program was passed on to local public safety agencies for free search and rescue equipment and training and to families for free transmitters.
The National Sheriff’s Association and more than 175 public safety agencies across the country support H.R. 908. The active attention and involvement of law enforcement with that family sends a powerful message to those in the community who might mistreat or victimize these vulnerable citizens. As we struggle with budgetary reductions across the country, these devices allow many families to keep wandering patients at home and avoid or delay costly nursing home care.
Project Lifesaver looks forward to working with Chairman Leahy and Majority Leader Harry Reid to bring H.R. 908 to a floor vote soon.