OPP Provincial Constable Dave Holmes says Project Lifesaver wouldn’t have come to the Leeds-Grenville area without the local Alzheimer’s Society pushing for it.
“Fortunately, we have an excellent partner in the Alzheimer’s Society of Lanark, Leeds and Grenville, that was very proactive in getting some information about what the program is and how we could bring it to our area,” Holmes says.
The initiative gives people at risk for “wandering” and becoming lost a wristband with a transmitter.
When they’re reported missing, police can use their receivers to follow that transmitter’s signal and bring the person home safely.
“We are the ones with the search tool to find the missing client, because we’re the emergency service that people call when people go missing,” Holmes explains. “But, really, a lot of it had to do with the Alzheimer’s Society wanting to get behind the program and wanting to deliver it in the Leeds and Grenville OPP areas.”
If you have a loved one that’s at risk of wandering, Holmes says you can contact the Alzheimer’s Society at 613-345-7392 to learn more about the program.