Staying Safe In The Community

On March 6, 2008, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lee went to the doctor’s office together for an appointment with the podiatrist. They each went into separate rooms for their appointments. When the doctor completed Mr. Lee’s examination, he asked him to wait for his wife outside in the waiting room. Within a few minutes, he became restless and began to look for his wife. People with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) may often feel anxious and agitated, become impatient and need to move around. In Mr. Lee’s situation, when he was unable to see his wife in the unfamiliar surroundings, we believe that he felt unsafe and unprotected.

People with AD and other dementias are at risk of wandering and getting lost if they are not in a safe, supervised environment. And that is what happened to Mr. Lee. Presumably, he panicked and within a split second he wandered out of the doctor’s office without any warning or anyone seeing him leave.

The family notified the police who were frantically looking for him. The MedicAlert® + Alzheimer's Association Safe Return® national office received a call from a New York City Police Officer reporting him missing. We were told that Mr. Lee is Chinese, speaking only Cantonese.

The family was unaware of the MedicAlert + Safe Return program, thus he was wandering without any identification. After several days of the family searching the city, the subways, and the Chapter working with the NYPD expediting missing person fax reports and media reports, an anonymous man called after watching a report on New York 1 cable TV to say he remembered seeing an Asian man walking aimlessly in the Chinatown area of Manhattan.

The Good Samaritan recalled that the Asian man said something to him which he did not understand. The Good Samaritan did look at the disoriented and confused elderly man’s wrist for some sort of identification, but when he did not see anything, the Good Samaritan walked away.

This approach from a Good Samaritan happens frequently. People are very hesitant to approach a person if they do not see an identifier that indicates how they can be of some assistance to a confused and disoriented person. It took more than four days for Mr. Lee to be reunited with his family. When Mr. Lee was found, he was taken immediately to the emergency room where he was examined, found to be somewhat dehydrated, kept for a few days and then released to his family. The Chapter’s Care Consultants are working with the family on a long-term plan for his care.

MedicAlert + Safe Return is a nationwide program working on the community level. The program is available to you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and offers translation in over 140 languages. Wandering is a potentially life-threatening activity. If you know of anyone who would like to enroll in our program or if you yourself have a friend or family member who needs our services, please call us at 1-800-272-3900 or visit Safe Return online.

The Chapter wants to ensure that anyone needing the MedicAlert + Safe Return program receives it, regardless of their ability to pay. Scholarships are available for people living in the five boroughs through our Emergency and Special Assistance Fund.

Please note that names and some circumstances have been changed to protect the family’s privacy.

If you have questions about MedicAlert + Safe Return, contact me at 646-744-2918 or by e-mail at esantiago@alznyc.org. You may also visit www.alznyc.org/safereturn.

— Elizabeth Bravo Santiago
Manager, MedicAlert + Safe Return

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