Westchester County police used Project Lifesaver technology Sunday to find an elderly Alzheimer’s patient from New Rochelle who had wandered away from home.
New Rochelle police were notified about 8:30 a.m. that the 73-year-old man was missing from his Glenmore Drive home. An immediate search of the area was begun by New Rochelle police, and county police were contacted because the man is enrolled in Project Lifesaver.
Under the Project Lifesaver program, persons suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia who have a history of wandering away are fitted with a special tracking bracelet. Specially trained and equipped county police officers are able to locate missing persons wearing the bracelet by tracing a radio signal that it emits.
The man was located a little before 11:30 a.m. at the Mirage Diner on North Avenue in New Rochelle, more than a mile from his home. He was brought home to family members by county officers.
Project Lifesaver is sponsored by the Department of Senior Programs and Services and the Department of Public Safety in partnership with the Hebrew Home for the Aged in Riverdale and International Project Lifesaver.
Sunday’s successful search marked the seventh time that a missing Project Lifesaver client was located by officers from the Department of Public Safety and safely returned home. The program was implemented in August 2008.
For more information on Westchester County’s Project Lifesaver click here.
For the web site for Project Lifesaver International click here.
Caregivers who are interested in obtaining bracelets should call Melody Keel at the ElderServe Safe Center for Seniors at (914) 368-5506 or send an e-mail to mkeel@hebrewhome.org.