BROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT) — The Brookville Police Department is partnering with the MedicAlert Foundation to offer a free program to help protect community members with dementia and autism who are at risk for wandering emergencies.
(Brookville Police Chief Brown)
Brookville Police are now able to enroll local residents and their caregivers through an online portal into the MedicAlert national database to receive a free medical identification bracelet and free 24/7 emergency support services.
“If someone goes missing, it gives us a way to track them and help find them,” Police Chief Jason Brown said. “We will have a database of at-risk individuals so if someone goes missing it will be another way to find them. There is also a nationwide database that can be used if the people are traveling.”
Wandering statistics are very high across the country. Sixty percent of adults with Alzheimer’s or related dementia will wander and 50 percent of people with autism will also wander.
According to MedicAlert, there is a 98 percent success rate for locating missing persons when MedicAlert products and services are offered.
“We know that wandering is a grave concern for families, especially those with loves ones who have a dementia or autism spectrum diagnosis,” said David Leslie, President and CEO for MedicAlert. “Therefore we are pleased to work with the Brookville Police Department to further protect their community members who are at risk.”
Residents who have loved ones who are at risk for wandering are encouraged to enroll in the free program.
They can by calling the Police Department at 814-849-5323 or email Chief Brown at chief.brookvillepolice@comcast.org.
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