In 2001, police in Danville, Virginia, were called to search for an 89-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s who had gone missing.
After arriving on the scene, the team followed a radio frequency being emitted from a special bracelet on her wrist. The technology developed by Project Lifesaver led them across highway and into a field. It had been raining for three days, and the mud was ankle deep. But in the darkness of night, they converged on the source of the signal, and in less than 30 minutes, they found the woman—on the ground and covered in mud.
If it hadn’t been for the signal, they wouldn’t have seen her—much less found her alive.
While an estimated six in 10 people with dementia have a tendency to wander, finding them quickly is essential to their survival. A 2017 study from Carelinx reports that 93% of dementia-driven wanderers located within the first 12 hours are likely to survive the incident. But after 24 hours, that number drops to just 30%.
Of those missing for 72 hours? Only 20% are found alive.
The makings of a mission
Over three decades, Gene Saunders has been involved in thousands of search-and-rescue missions to find missing persons with cognitive disabilities. Rarely, he said, do they wander. In their minds, they’re actually on a mission.
“That mission may be unknown to us,” he explained, “but they have a destination.”
They often believe they need to be somewhere – work, the kids’ school, home – because someone is counting on them. But that mission can get dangerous.
They often believe they need to be somewhere – work, the kids’ school, home – because someone is counting on them. But that mission can get dangerous.
“When they get out into unfamiliar territory and they get disoriented, they don’t tend to turn around,” he said. “They tend to press forward and become even more disoriented and lost.”
Launching Project Lifesaver
In his previous experience in law enforcement, Saunders’ teams were increasingly activated to search for missing Alzheimer’s patients. Yet, even the best tactics were often both inadequate and expensive. (In fact, he estimated one two-week search cost taxpayers approximately $342,000.)
Adapting technology pioneered during World War II, Saunders developed a system that uses an individualized radio frequency to pinpoint the location of the person wearing a bracelet that’s generating the signal. Within two months of placing its first transmitter in 1999, the Project Lifesaver team was involved in the rescue of an Alzheimer’s patient. Located 100 yards from home, the individual was found in less than two minutes in an apartment building closet underneath a stairway with the door locked.
Today, Project Lifesaver partners with 1,710 law enforcement agencies, fire departments, VA hospitals and assisted living centers in all 50 states and nine Canadian provinces. The application has also expanded to include individuals of any age with cognitive impairments characterized by wandering including autism, Down syndrome, Pick’s disease and Lewy body dementia.
Using Project Lifesaver, first responders have rescued approximately 4,000 cognitively impaired individuals.
Precautions and preparation for caregivers to prevent wandering
Based on his decades of experience rescuing cognitively impaired individuals, Saunders offers these tips:
- Adapt the environment to discourage leaving – Some simple adjustments to the home can make it harder to get outside access including placing stop signs on doors, adhering wallpaper across doors, using double locks on doors, and installing window locks.
- Be aware of early indicators that predict attempts to leave – No matter the physical barriers put in place, “If a person wants to get out badly enough,” Saunders said, “they’re going to do it. They will signal their intention to go before they actually leave.”
- Listen to what the person is saying – If they start a repetitive drone of “I need to go home,” you’ve got an early warning sign.
- Know if they have any money with them or credit cards – The more resources they have, the farther and faster they can travel.
- Don’t think that they can’t motivate and move quickly (because they can) – Saunders recalls a Virginia Beach case in which a woman with Alzheimer’s caught a plane and was found at an airport in Puerto Rico.
- Pay attention to what they’re doing – Is the person walking around trying to get out of windows or doors? Are they fidgety or restless? If so, that person may be persistent in their attempts to leave.
- Try to keep the person busy – Engagement in activities and exercise can provide both mental and physical stimulation and shift focus away from the urge to leave.
- Be particularly vigilant immediately after a move – The first couple of weeks are the most crucial because that’s when their unfamiliar surroundings cause individuals to become restless.
Consult with local law enforcement before a crisis arises
Once you discover a person with a cognitive disability is missing, time is of the essence.
Patterned after the Amber Alert for children, the Silver Alert (or Code Silver) is a widely publicized bulletin that alerts the public when an elderly person or a person with a cognitive disability is missing.
While the attempts to establish and fund a national Silver Alert system in 2009 and 2014 failed, 37 states and the District of Columbia each have their own protocols in place.
Before a crisis arises, check with your local law enforcement to identify the best agency to contact and what information (such as a current picture of the individual that can be texted or emailed) needs to be available if the department’s involvement becomes necessary.
“Caregivers should seek help immediately by calling their law enforcement,” said Saunders, “so an immediate search can be initiated and, if necessary, a Silver Alert can be activated.”
While each city or state may have its own protocols, Saunders said the system is fairly uniform. When a person over 65 with a diagnosed cognitive disability is missing and a search by family and friends has yielded nothing, local police are likely to be deployed to assist.
If the missing person is known to be on foot, law enforcement will expand the search to a wider area and determine whether to engage local media to publicize the disappearance.
If the missing person is known to have left in a vehicle, local police are likely to notify state agencies. If the agencies issue a Silver Alert, information about the missing individual is typically posted on electronic highway signage and dispatched to local media and possibly even distributed via push alert to cellphones statewide.
Research resources available in your area
Many municipalities and law enforcement agencies have resources for caregivers to help prevent a person with dementia from becoming a missing person’s case.
For example, to explore eligibility and availability requirements for Project Lifesaver in their area, families should contact their law enforcement affiliate.
While one department in Virginia works with as many as 500 clients, most departments have limitations on the number of clients they can serve.
To promote affordability, the nonprofit allows its affiliates to charge up to $25 a month for coverage; however, many provide the service at no charge.
If your area doesn’t have a Project Lifesaver affiliate yet, Saunders suggests bringing together a coalition of your advocacy groups and presenting the idea to the local sheriff or chief of police.
If Project Lifesaver is unavailable, investigate other systems such as the Alzheimer’s Association’s 24/7 Wandering Support for Safe Return.
Most importantly, always believe a person with a cognitive disability is capable of leaving—even if they’ve never shown any interest before.
“They can develop a mission any time,” Saunders said, “so don’t think because that person has never wandered that they won’t.”
