The Safely Home(R) program now even more accessible
TORONTO, Nov. 25 /CNW/ - When someone with Alzheimer's disease becomes
lost, finding them quickly is key to preventing a tragedy. In fact, research
has shown that if the person is not found within 12 hours of last being seen,
there is a 50 per cent chance that they will be found injured or dead from
dehydration, drowning or hypothermia.
To help speed up search and rescue efforts, the Alzheimer Society, in
partnership with the RCMP, developed a nationwide wandering registry. To date,
30,000 Canadians have registered. Now, people with Alzheimer's disease and
their caregivers have the option of enrolling in the Safely Home program
online, and managing their record through a new and improved website at
www.safelyhome.ca.
Also, to ensure everyone is best prepared, the Alzheimer Society has also
introduced two online courses to serve as a centralized resource for training
people nationwide.
The first course, "Plan to be Prepared! Bringing people with Alzheimer's
and related diseases Safely Home" is meant for care facilities' staff to help
them better understand the characteristics of Alzheimer's disease, concepts of
emergency preparedness and how to plan for and carry out search emergency
procedures. The second course, "Search is an Emergency: Bringing people with
Alzheimer's and related diseases Safely Home" was created for police and
emergency services.
"Preventing people with Alzheimer's disease from becoming lost is our
primary goal," says Mary Schulz, Education Director at the Alzheimer Society
of Canada. "However, if they do, we want to ensure that everyone who supports
people living with the disease, from family to health care workers to police
officers, have the training and resources to find them as quickly as
possible."
In March 2007, with the support of the RCMP, the Alzheimer Society of
Canada received funding from the Search and Rescue Secretariat to implement a
two year project known as the Safely Home Community Action Plan to increase
public awareness and enhance the ability of the Safely Home program
nationally.
About the Safely Home Registry
Developed in 1995 in partnership with the RCMP, Safely Home is a
nationwide program intended to assist police in finding a person with dementia
and returning them safely to their home. By enrolling in the program, vital
information is stored in a secure database to be retrieved by police, from
anywhere in Canada when search and rescue efforts are launched. For more
information about Safely Home or Alzheimer's disease, please visit
www.safelyhome.ca.
The on-line training courses can be found at:
http://www.safelyhome.ca/en/onlinetraining/onlinetraining.asp
About the Alzheimer Society
The Alzheimer Society is the leading, nationwide health organization for
people affected by dementia in Canada. The Society is a principal funder of
Alzheimer research and training, provides enhanced care and support to people
with the disease, their families and their caregivers, while acting as a
prominent voice in the call for policy change within all levels of government.
Active in more than 140 communities across Canada, the Alzheimer Society is
also at the forefront of worldwide efforts to fight dementia as a founding
member and affiliate of Alzheimer's Disease International.
For further information: The Alzheimer Society of Canada, Patricia
Wilkinson, Manager, Media and Government Relations, Phone: (416) 847-2959,
Mobile: (416) 669-5715, pwilkinson@alzheimer.ca
