Articles - Safe Return |
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Imagine coming home from work to discover your loved one with Alzheimer's disease nowhere to be found. What would you do? Who would you call? When an Alzheimer's patient wanders away it can be a terrifying experience for both the patient and the family. The Alzheimer's Association has responded to these incidences with the establishment of the Safe Return Program, a nationwide bracelet identification program. Safe Return provides assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whether a person becomes lost locally or far from home. The program's nationwide, toll-free 800 number listed on the bracelet is linked to a network of 17,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide. The nominal $40 registration fee is a one-time fee that provides an engraved identification bracelet or necklace, iron-on clothing labels, a caregiver checklist, key chain, lapel pin, refrigerator magnet, stickers and wallet cards. The Safe Return operator immediately 1) contacts a family member or caregiver listed in the database, 2) contacts the local Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association and 3) alerts hospital personnel, emergency personnel and law enforcement officials by faxing photo flyers and medical information to help expedite the Safe Return process. Locally, the Northern Virginia Chapter received an 18 month grant from the Arlington Health Foundation to heighten community awareness of the dangers of wandering in dementia patients, to educate caregivers and families about safety and to promote the Safe Return program in Northern Virginia. Mariette Klein, MSW, Safe Return Coordinator for the Northern Virginia Chapter states, "I am so excited about the amount of enthusiasm that the four working groups have. We are already well underway in accomplishing the work of the grant." The new Safe Return Committee is divided into four working groups with four separate working plans:
Last updated: August 16, 1999
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