EVERETT — He had wandered from home before. Four times this year.
Police received a call Tuesday evening about a 62-year-old man with dementia. He was missing again.
More than half of those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia have a tendency to wander, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. And for those who are missing for more than 24 hours, their chances of returning home safely drop to 50 percent.
Project Care Track is raising those odds.
The Everett man, a longtime client of Project Care Track, was found about an hour after he was reported missing. Search and rescue volunteers traced a locator bracelet the man wore to 44th Street SE and Evergreen Way, a few miles from his house.
“The less time they’re out in the elements, in the cold and at night, the better,” said Shari Ireton, a Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman. “Sometimes they leave their homes without shoes or appropriate clothing.”
The program is run through the sheriff’s office. Program participants receive a bracelet that emits a unique, traceable radio signal that can be used to find the person if he or she wanders.
These one-ounce bracelets significantly cut down the time and scope of search-and-rescue missions.
So far this year, there have been 32 or these searches. Twenty three, or 72 percent, involved people who weren’t part of the program and amounted to 950 volunteer hours, according to the sheriff’s office. Nine, or 28 percent, of the searches were carried out by Project Care Track volunteers and took a total of just 40 hours. That’s 4 percent of the total time spent on search missions.
Ireton said the program goes beyond finding a person quickly. Volunteers get to know their clients. When a veteran with a memory disability was missing, the rescue approach was subtle. No herds of police cars. No loud sirens.
“It’s frightening to not know where you are,” she said.
Caitlin Tompkins: 425-339-3192; ctompkins@heraldnet.com.
Project Care Track
Project Care Track is a program through the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office that serves those living with Alzheimer’s, dementia and autism, among other conditions, that can cause a tendency to wander. Program clients are provided electronic bracelets that transmit a unique radio signal that can be tracked in case the client wanders from home.
Cost: $15
More information: 425-388-3825 or snohomishcountywa.gov/313/Project-Care-Track
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