A program helping dementia patients that wander away from home and get lost could be expanding in 2024.
Melinda Coleman, the Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Society of Lanark, Leeds and Grenville says Project Lifesaver has been going smoothly since its introduction in September.
“It’s where we thought it would be,” Coleman says. “We’re having calls frequently about people being interested in learning more information.”
The program supplies people at risk of wandering with bracelets that police can use to find them if they get lost.
Right now, it’s only available to areas served by the Leeds and Grenville County OPP detachments, but Coleman says she’s hoping to change that.
“This week, I’m meeting with the Brockville Police Service in hopes that they will come on board with the program,” she says, “because we’re finding that many of the clients that are calling are from Brockville. So, we’re hoping to get Brockville Police on board.”
She says she’s also in talks to collaborate with the Lanark County OPP detachment, which runs its own version of the program independently, as well as other police forces in the region.
If you want to learn more about Project Lifesaver, Coleman says you can find details on the Alzheimer’s Society website.
