The Alzheimer's Association Safe Return program was created to enable police, community agencies, and private citizens to identify people with Alzheimer's (ALLS-hi-merz) and related disorders and help return them home. As Alzheimer's progresses, many patients can’t recognize familiar places and faces. Sometimes they may become confused, even in their everyday surroundings. To regain control of their situation, many people with Alzheimer's disease go in search of something reassuring, a behavior called 'wandering.' When wandering occurs, many patients can’t ask for assistance or are unable to find someone to help them. An identity bracelet or necklace, clothing labels, and wallet cards are provided by the Alzheimer's Association Safe Return program to help identify the memory-impaired individual. It also provides a 24–hour, toll-free number to contact when an individual is lost or found. The program also has access to the national crime information computer, a national network of 17,000 local law enforcement agencies, to help find the missing individual. For more information, or to enroll an individual in this program, contact the Alzheimer's Association chapter nearest you.
