REGINA – Joe walks out the door of his house and heads for the homestead that isn’t there any more.
Then along comes a train and Joe watches it go by. He forgets where he was going and follows the train.
Eventually, he ends up … somewhere, anywhere. If it’s summer, he’ll probably be OK. If it’s winter, he could die.
This is the type of situation the Alzheimer Association of Saskat-chewan hopes to reduce with a new identification program. Alzheimer sufferers can be listed and tagged in a nation-wide program that will provide people with the memory loss disease more safety.
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“People become confused and disoriented,” said Saskatchewan Alzheimer association president Janine Brisebois.
Every year, hundreds of Alzheimer victims wander from where they live. During the winter, it can be life-threatening because their judgment may be so impaired that they go outdoors without adequate clothing.
With the new program, which includes block parents, chiefs of police and Medic-Alert, Alzheimer sufferers will wear a Medic-Alert bracelet so people who find them will be able to report them.
Information about the wanderer will also be stored on a national database to help with searches, Brisebois said.
Information recorded
The database will reveal likely places the person could have wandered to and a history of where they have wandered before.
“When you’re thinking logically you can put these things down, but when someone goes missing, (most people stop being sensible) and immediately assume the worst-case scenario,” said Brisebois. Massive searches of entire areas can be launched when simply going along the usual route the wanderer takes could find them, she said.
Registering an Alzheimer sufferer costs $25, but Brisebois said her group is trying to raise money so everyone can be brought into the system.
People can get more information about the program by calling the Alzheimer association or the local police force.
