SAFE RETURN PROGRAM
RETURNING ALZHEIMER’S WANDERERS TO THEIR FAMILIES
Q. I read in the newspaper about an 80-year-old Alzheimer’s patient who got lost between air flights in Atlanta. That is really scary to me because my father is in the early stages of this terrible disease. The article also mentioned some kind of “return” program families can register their loved ones in. Can you give me some information on this?
A. The Alzheimer’s Association’s “Safe Return Program” was instigated in 1993. It has more than 110,000 people registered and has facilitated the recovery of nearly 8,000 individuals who wandered and became lost.
It is a government-funded program that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week by working with Alzheimer’s chapters through the country.
People with Alzheimer’s disease are prone to wander. They can become lost (even in familiar settings), leave a safe environment, or intrude in inappropriate places. Wandering can happen anytime or anyplace and can be life-threatening for the individual.
Safe Return provides registrants and their families with:
- Identification products, including wallet cards, jewelry, clothing/lapel pins, bag tags.
- A national photo/information database.
- A 24-hour crisis line.
- Alzheimer’s Association local chapter support.
- Wandering behavior education and training for caregivers and families.
If the registrant wanders and is found, the person who finds him/her can call the Safe Return toll-free number located on the wanderer’s identification. The Safe Return telephone operator immediately alerts the family members or caregiver listed on the database.
If a person is reported missing by a family member or caregiver, Safe Return can fax local law enforcement agencies the missing person’s information and photograph.
To register, a person with dementia or their caregiver fills out a simple form, supplies a photograph, and choose the type of identification product that the registrant will wear and/or carry. The registration fee is $40, and caregiver jewelry is $5.
To register in the Safe Return Program on line, contact: http://www.alz.org/Services/SafeReturn.asp.
To register by phone using a credit card, call 888-572-8566.
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