Program key to helping people with Alzheimer’s
disease
By Kathleen Folkerth
WEST AKRON — Six out of 10 people with Alzheimer’s disease are likely to “wander” at some point, finding themselves lost or disoriented and, sometimes, in danger.
The Alzheimer’s Association is doing its part to help locate wandering individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and educate caregivers about the seriousness of the issue with the Safe Return program.
Safe Return has been in use nationally since 1993, said Julie Falter, Family Service director at the Greater East Ohio Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.
Falter added the program, which registers people with Alzheimer’s disease onto a database and provides them with an identification bracelet and clothing tags, has had a 99 percent success rate in finding wandering individuals within 24 hours.
That time period is crucial,
she said, because people unaccounted for longer than
that are at greater risk.
“About 50 percent risk
serious injury if not returned by 24 hours,” Falter
said.
Alzheimer’s disease is
a disease of the brain that causes problems with memory,
thinking and behavior. Symptoms include forgetfulness,
confusion, getting lost in familiar places, misplacing
things and trouble with language.
Locally, about 11,000 people
are estimated to be living with Alzheimer’s in
Summit County, with 6,600 at risk for wandering, according
to the local chapter.
Falter said about 120,000 people
are now registered with Safe Return nationally.
“It’s a very underutilized
program,” she said. “It’s a very valuable
program but not enough people use it. Our goal is to
get more people registered.”
Falter said wandering
often occurs when people with Alzheimer’s
disease report having what they describe as “moments
of blackness.”
“It can happen at any stage
of the disease process,” Falter said. “In
people who are in the earlier stages, they can be at
the same grocery store they’ve been going to for
20 years and say ‘Where am I? How do I get home?’”
Alzheimer’s patients in
care facilities also can be at risk of wandering, Falter
said.
“They can get out through
a window,” she said. “Some people with Alzheimer’s
disease look fine and healthy and a visitor will let
them out.”
The chapter, which serves Summit,
Medina and Portage counties, has seen the success of
Safe Return firsthand.
Christine Rich, development director,
said one Summit County
family was vacationing in Los Angeles when the grandfather,
who has Alzheimer’s, wandered away.
“They were panicked,”
she said. “But they called Safe Return and found
him in a few hours.”
When a loved one is discovered
to have wandered, caregivers call Safe Return at its
toll-free number or their Alzheimer’s Association
office. The information about the registered person
is then quickly forwarded to the appropriate law enforcement
agencies.
The program is being introduced
to local law enforcement departments in the area now,
Falter said.
“We want to get them aware
of the program and the benefits to them,” she
said. “Even better is for us to tell them how
to deal with someone with dementia and give
information on the disease process.”
Falter said the organization
would like to next introduce the program to fire departments
and other emergency responders.
April is Safe Return Month, and
families and caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s
are invited to the Alzheimer’s Association office
at 1815 W. Market St., Suite 301, to enroll.
During the week of April 24,
registration will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Families
are invited to enroll before or after that week as well.
The Safe Return kit, which includes
the ID bracelet, iron-on clothing labels, caregiver
checklist, key chain, lapel pin, magnet, stickers and
wallet cards, has a value of $45. Thanks to the support
of the Robert O. and Annamae Orr Family Foundation,
The Akron Community Foundation,
the Richie Memorial Trust and the Community Health Foundation
of Massillon, the local chapter is able to provide free
kits to those who cannot afford to buy one.
Those who plan to enroll their
loved ones are asked to bring a recent photo and know
the wrist size (in inches) of the person with Alzheimer’s
disease. Photos can be taken of the person at the office,
as well, if needed.
The kit also includes an ID bracelet
for caregivers, in case they are ever incapacitated,
so authorities will know they care for someone who may
need attention.
Falter added that for families
who cannot come to the West Akron office to register,
a staff member can go to their home to get the process
started.
For more information on
the Alzheimer’s Association
and Safe Return, call the Greater East Ohio Chapter
at (330) 864-5646 or visit www.geoalz.org.
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