New missing-alert system helping seniors with dementia

Posted Nov 17, 2016 at 12:01 AM (Original post date)

By Scott Smith Times, Recordssmith@swtimes.com

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Traumatic feelings can engulf a wandering individual with dementia.

When a person suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or other form of dementia goes missing, a sense of panic can instill itself in the lost person and his or her loved ones. It’s a scary occurrence, and, unfortunately, it can be a potentially dangerous situation, said Jonathan Fry, owner of Home Instead Senior Care of Fort Smith.

“It’s something you just don’t want to happen,” he said of the subject of missing seniors.

Families, caregivers and neighbors wishing to keep their seniors safe now can take advantage of a new, free program at www.missingseniornetwork.com. Launched by Home Instead Senior Care, the tool is an alert system that notifies relatives, caregivers and neighbors when an older loved one goes missing.

“It’s extremely user-friendly, so people can go in and create a free account and input their network of friends and neighbors before a senior wanders away from home,” Fry said. “Heaven forbid if a senior goes missing, but if they do, the family logs into the alert system, hits a button that says they need to put out an alert.”

Able to be sent via text and/or email, the warning will include potential locations that wandering senior might be at that moment, he said. These possible locations include the grocery store, church and the post office, among others, Fry said.

“When setting up the account, you just put into the alert system the person’s name and zip code where they spend the majority of their time,” he said.

Almost 50 percent of families experience a missing loved one who has Alzheimer’s, Fry said.

“Many people call the police for assistance in these cases, and more than half of these reported cases are a near-miss, where they feared the worst but were able to get their loved one back unharmed and into safety,” he said.

“Everyone has heard the statistic of missing kids; it’s the same for seniors,” Fry added. “If a senior isn’t found within the first 24 hours he or she is missing, he or she is at risk of injury and death.”

Many people are unaware of why dementia-suffering individuals wander and get lost, he said. Most seniors begin wandering “with intent,” thinking they need to find their former home or former place of employment, Fry said.

“Some common triggers for a senior wandering include delusions and hallucinations,” he said. “That individual may misinterpret sights and sounds and may feel fearful.

“Sometimes, it’s over-stimulation that takes place that makes a senior wander,” Fry added. “With the holidays, there’s usually a lot of family in town, so there could be a lot of conversations going on and grandchildren running around. People with dementia can be upset with this type of overcrowding, and so they look for an escape from what they think is chaos.”

A change in the senior’s routine also can be a trigger for causing a senior to wander and get lost, he said. Feeling confused, that individual often will try to return to a familiar place, only to get lost and more disoriented in the process, Fry said.

Ways to help prevent seniors from wandering away from home include creating a safe path inside the home for the senior to move freely. Closing doors that don’t need to be open and making sure plenty of light covers walkways, entries and staircases also can help ease stress levels and lower accidents, Fry said.

“A senior can wander not just on foot, but they can be in a wheelchair or in a vehicle,” he said. “It’s a serious situation. It can involve anyone.”

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