Showing posts with label missing elderly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label missing elderly. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Police Searching For Missing Elderly Woman

 
MISSING

Local law enforcement agencies this afternoon are seeking the public’s help in finding an elderly woman who suffers from dementia and short-term memory loss who was last seen at her residence on Carefree Lane in Berlin on Monday afternoon.

Shortly after midnight on Tuesday, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office received a missing persons report on Helen Stephanie David, 77, of Berlin from her son, Ryan Putney. David lives on Carefree Lane in the South Point area and was last seen at her residence shortly after 3 p.m. on Monday.

According to police reports, David suffers from dementia and short-term memory loss.

David is about 5’6” tall and around 142 pound with salt-and-pepper hair of medium length. When last seen, she was wearing a blue and white blouse with flowers, light blue Capri-style pants, two pairs of white socks and possibly tan Burkenstock sandals.

Anyone with information regarding David’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office at 410-632-1111.
 

Local law enforcement is currently asking for the public’s assistance in searching their property or any outbuildings on or near their property.

Several agencies are currently involved in the search including the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, the Maryland State Police, Ocean City Police, the Ocean City Fire Department, Maryland Natural Resources Police and the Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office.


Monday, October 25, 2010

Finding Missing Senior Is A Different Challenge In Finding Them

More missing persons cases are involving seniors with cognitive impairment, and that's creating different challenges for people trying to locate them.


"Don't assume that these people won't wander or walk away," says Gene Saunders, who was a commander of special operations at the Chesapeake, Va. Police Department.

Saunders started seeing an increasing number of searches involving patients with Alzheimer's disease.

"Calling out their names was not an option because they don't tend to answer or help you in any way. They are not going to act as what we might think a so-called reasonable person would do in their movements or where they might stop."

A number of unsuccessful searches frustrated Saunders.

"Not only that, but when you started looking at the cost involved and a number of people who became involved in some of these searches... it became astronomical."

Saunders came across a tracking device using radio frequency and designed a program to supply seniors with dementia with a bracelet.

"If they go, we just tune into the frequency, go out and track that frequency," he says.

Saunders launched Project Lifesaver as small pilot program 11 years ago. Now, it's used in 45 states.

Saunders believes the more society can do to help save lives and reduce cost for law enforcement, "it will also allow these people to be able to stay home longer."

Retired FBI agent Robert Schaefer knows the challenges faced by searchers and caregivers firsthand because he cared for his wife with Alzheimer's for more than 20 years.

He now volunteers with the Department of Criminal Justice Services in Virginia and shares his experiences with first responders.

"They have to learn to think outside of the box. They have to learn to think differently because as a person progresses through the disease process, they are not able to think logically, the way we would think. So you have to kind of put yourself into their position and try to discover where they are in the course of the disease and how they are thinking," Schaefer says.

Time is one the biggest challenges in these types of missing person cases, Schaefer says. And people need to call for help as soon as they discover their loved one is missing.

"There is hesitation to call first responders in to assist because you feel you can find the person," he says.

Schaefer understands that feeling because he was a care partner himself, but says that is a big mistake.
Studies show first 24 hours is critical in order to find the missing person alive.

In addition to calling for help as soon as possible, there are many precautionary measures caregivers can take:

Learn what you can do to keep them occupied and distracted

Pay attention when they start talking. Sometimes they give you clues. While we may not understand it, they may start talking about going to work, going home, going to visit someone, or going to pick up someone.

Disguise or lock hazardous area inside of your home like covering doors and windows to prevent the patient from wandering.

Make sure your neighbors know about the situation so they can alert you if they see a person wandering outside.

Know that no matter what you do, you may not be 100 percent successful in preventing him or her from wandering.


Saunders adds that it is important to relay all information to law enforcement if and when the person goes missing. He says Alzheimer's patients are capable of cashing checks, using credit cards or ATM cards, and catching trains and buses, for example.

Both Saunders and Schaefer say the population with cognitive impairment is only getting larger - putting a bigger demand on public safety agencies.

Schaefer helped make Virginia one of the first states in the nation to offer special training for missing persons cases with cognitive impairment.

He says the training helps law enforcement officers not only in the searches, but also in everyday encounters.

"A Virginia state trooper brought to my attention (a case) that had occurred about a week after he had been through the training. And this did not involve a search, but he stopped a female in the middle stages of dementia who was driving an automobile. And he wasn't able to get her out of her car. She was totally uncooperative. And he remembered how we had told him to deal with unusual behaviors that might arise and that he had to think outside the box. That's exactly what he did to encourage that woman to get her out of the car."

Schaefer is also the author of the book, "Alzheimer's: The Identity Thief of the 21st Century." Click here for more information about the book.
www.wtop.com

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

What Is Silver Alert?


I received a phone call earlier this afternoon from someone headed north on Route 50 asking me what a "Silver Alert" was. I wasn't really sure until I looked it up. The Maryland State Police have been using this since October 2009. Similar to the Amber Alert it can be a useful tool in finding older persons or persons with disorders. This is going to be, I am sure, a most wonderful program.
Please read this:

"Patterned after the AMBER Alert program for missing children, if the situation warrants, state or local police investigating the disappearance will contact the Maryland State Police Silver Alert coordinator. The Maryland Emergency Management Agency will request an emergency alert through all Maryland police departments, media outlets and 911 centers.

The State Highway Administration will post alert information, including a description of the person and the vehicle he was last seen in on overhead highway signs in the area where the missing person was last seen. Information may also be broadcast on the Highway Advisory Radio network.

The Silver Alert program is the result of legislation introduced in the Maryland General Assembly by Delegate Benjamin Kramer and Sen. Rona Kramer, both of Montgomery County.

“Our new Silver Alert program gives us a coordinated way to communicate information about a critically missing person quickly and to as many people as possible,” Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Terrence Sheridan said.

“This alert system is designed to reunite families,” said Maryland Department of Human Resources Secretary Brenda Donald. “There are few things more disconcerting for a family than to have its elderly member go missing.”

In order for an alert to be issued, the following criteria must be met:

• The missing person must suffer from a cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer’s or dementia.

• The person’s disappearance must pose a true threat to his health and safety.

• The missing person must be traveling in a vehicle and there must be enough descriptive information about the person and the vehicle for police to issue an alert.

• The investigating police department has already activated a local alert by contacting media.

• The missing person has been entered into the National Crime Information Center database.

When a person goes missing and circumstances do not warrant a Silver Alert, law enforcement will still do everything possible to find the missing person.

The Maryland State Police will provide any assistance necessary for search and rescue operations. This will likely involve the deployment of K-9 units. State police bloodhound teams find dozens of missing persons each year, some of whom are senior citizens who have walked away and become lost.

Maryland State Police helicopters will also be available for search and rescue. They are equipped with infra-red cameras that help find people even in remote areas. State police also has specially trained search teams that can track people on foot in all types of terrain and surroundings."

www.missingpatient.com