A latex-free snap bracelet could be all the Shoreline Police Department needs to help those who are memory impaired and could get lost. On Nov. 30, the Memory Impaired Assistance Program (MIAP) officially began at the Shoreline Police Department’s Neighborhood Westside Center on Richmond Beach Road.
“All of the information of the person registered in the program is private,” Shoreline police officer Leona Obstler said during the registration of the first Shoreline resident to sign up for the program.
Should a registered person wander away and become lost, she said, a caregiver can dial 911 and advise the call receiver that the missing person is a part of the Shoreline MIAP and give the identification number located on their bracelet. The individualized registered number will be entered into a computer system where further information about the person and a photo will be stored.
Obstler believes the computerized system will help emergency personnel save time and better assist some Shoreline residents.
The free program, although new in Shoreline, has assisted Lynnwood residents for five years. Lynnwood Police spokesperson Shannon Sessions shared the program with Obstler.
“A person with dementia, child with autism or a person with a brain injury could be part of the program,” Sessions said. “It’s not necessarily for someone who is older but most of the people who have signed up had Alzheimer’s or dementia.”
Thirty residents are part of the Lynnwood program, according to Sessions.
The MIAP is available to Lynnwood and Shoreline residents. Another nonprofit program called Project Lifesaver is offered by Snohomish and King County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Association. Residents enrolled in Project Lifesaver pay a $150 starting fee and $15 per month for a bracelet that emits a radio signal from up to a mile radius.
“To a lot of people it’s a little costly but some people really need that program,” Obstler said. “When we do our program though we want people to know this one exists because maybe this isn’t the right thing for them.”
Residents who are interested in the MIAP can register by calling one of two Shoreline Police Department Neighborhood Centers. The participant will receive their wristband upon completion of a registration form. A digital photo of the participant will also be taken at the time of registration.
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