This article was originally published in The Examiner on Oct. 20, 2016.
By Eleanor Skelton
Staff Writer
This summer, Home Instead Senior Care launched its Missing Senior Network, a free online tool now available in Jefferson, Orange and Hardin counties.
The service, available at www.missingseniornetwork.com, sends both e-mail and text message alerts to the community, including friends, family and local businesses, when
a senior is reported missing.
“Nationwide, we’ve had about 1,600 people sign up,” said Alexis Abel, account supervisor for Home Instead Inc.
The Missing Senior Network is part of Prevent Wandering, a larger program created by Home Instead Senior Care. Prevent Wandering provides further resources to help families understand what triggers wandering events, how families can better protect their loved ones, and steps to take when a wandering event occurs.
“These frightening occurrences lead families to call our office and ask for help,” said Jerald Stewart, owner of Home Instead Senior Care in Beaumont on Interstate 10.
“This resource was created to help Beaumont-area families understand the risk of wandering and have a tool that empowers them to quickly take action if a loved
one living with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia wanders.”
Anyone affected by a form of dementia can be prone to wandering, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
The disappearance of an Alzheimer’s patient is often a concern of caregivers and family. Almost 50 percent of family members that Home Instead Inc. serve have experienced a loved one wandering or getting lost, according to a recent survey.
Home Instead Senior Care wants family caregivers to know about common triggers that prompt wandering, including delusions and hallucinations, overstimulation, fatigue, disorientation and change in routine.
“It’s important for families to understand the potential triggers for wandering and have a plan in place to help keep their loved one safe,” Stewart said.
Patients may wander in cars or wheelchairs, as well as on foot, said Monica Moreno, director of Early Stage Initiatives.
“A person may want to go back to a former job he or she had, even though that job may no longer exist,” Moreno said. “There’s always a purpose and intent. It’s just a matter of identifying the triggers.”
“As far as I know, the system has not yet been activated in Texas,” Abel said, although the system launched Aug. 30.
Eleanor Skelton 