Feb 24, 2010 – Chesapeake, VA – In January and February alone, Project Lifesaver International, a non-profit organization specializing in training public safety agencies on search and rescue programs, equipment, and procedures to help individuals with cognitive conditions that wander, has conducted approximately 30 search and rescue missions for missing individuals participating in their program throughout the United States. This year’s winter season has also proven to be one of extreme winter conditions, as snow has blanketed many states throughout the month of February.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, nearly 60% of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease will wander at some point during the progression of the disease, and many will wander repeatedly. Additionally, according to a survey conducted by the National Autism Association, nearly 92% of parents felt that their autistic child was at risk of wandering. To help combat this problem of wandering, Project Lifesaver International helps train public safety agencies throughout the world to conduct search and rescue efforts by using state-of-the-art technology to find those who wander due to cognitive conditions. Individuals in the Project Lifesaver program wear a personalized, wrist-watch sized radio transmitter that allows public safety agencies to rapidly locate them, and should they wander, agencies are able to bring these individuals home quickly and safely.
On January 5 in Montgomery County, Maryland, an 80 year old man suffering from Alzheimer’s disease went missing. The search started from the home residence, and an officer with the Montgomery County Police Department set her equipment device to the proper frequency and reported that the signal was strongest headed towards the southwest corner of a nearby intersection. While walking through some brush with fellow officers, they located the man at the bottom of a 7 foot rock wall that lined a drainage creek. He was sitting on a rock in the creek with his feet in the water, wearing only long pajamas and socks. The man was carried out of the creek bed by five officers and transported to a local hospital, where he was released only hours later. On the night of the search, it was 23 degrees and extremely windy.
On January 9 in Marion, Indiana, a 79-year old man with dementia wandered away from his wife in the parking lot of a local Wal-Mart. The Grant County Sheriff’s Department responded to the call and in 13 minutes, they located the man walking eastbound on a local street. The man was returned to his wife at Wal-Mart in good condition, in spite of the frigid weather conditions – it was only 12 degrees outside.
On February 8, a 54-year old female suffering from traumatic brain injury wandered in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Units from the Virginia Beach Police Department responded to a local elementary school, which was where a family member said the subject may have wandered, and the officers immediately received a signal coming from the rear of the school. Units followed the signal and found the subject outside of the building, where vitals were checked. The total search and rescue time was only 17 minutes, and the woman was returned home to her caregiver safely, despite the 30 degree temperatures that morning.
These are only three stories of nearly 30 rescues conducted by Project Lifesaver agencies in January and February. While this program is important to have in every community year-round, it is especially important to have during the winter months, as this program drastically decreases the time spent on search and rescue, cuts down on manpower hours and resources, and greatly increases the likelihood that the missing person will be found – and found alive. Project Lifesaver helps public safety agencies locate those that wander quicker than ever before, especially when the time frame to locate someone safely is significantly reduced due to colder weather conditions.
For more information on Project Lifesaver, please contact 1-877-580-LIFE (5433) or visit www.projectlifesaver.org.
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About Project Lifesaver: Established in 1999, Project Lifesaver International is a non-profit organization that is committed to helping families quickly find their loved ones who wander because of Alzheimer’s, Down syndrome, dementia, autism, and other cognitive conditions. Project Lifesaver trains agencies on how to search for individuals who become lost by utilizing search and rescue techniques and equipment, as well as how to interact with individuals once they are found to help facilitate a safe escort home. For more information, visit www.projectlifesaver.org.