A North Bay man living with dementia who became lost is alive thanks to Project Lifesaver.
On Sunday June 23rd at around 8:00 pm, the man left his residence after becoming upset. When a family member realized he was missing, the North Bay Police Service was immediately contacted. Within minutes the Project Lifesaver equipment was deployed, and the man was quickly located in a heavily wooded area off a bush trail, not far from his home. The man had fallen and was unable to get up. The man did not need hospitalization and was returned safely to a family member.
Project Lifesaver is a non-profit program that combines radio tracking technology with a coordinated police response to locate wandering or disoriented loved ones that have gone missing due to Alzheimer’s, Autism or other cognitive conditions or disorders. Participants wear a wristband that emits a tracking signal. The wristband is a one-ounce, battery-operated transmitter that emits an FM radio signal every second, 24 hours a day. The North Bay Police Service works in conjunction with the volunteers of BAYSAR Air Search and Rescue to provide this valuable program. BAYSAR administers the program and when needed, BAYSAR volunteers can quickly augment NBPS officers during a search.
Thankfully, the dementia patient who went missing on Sunday is registered with North Bay Police and BAYSAR Air Search and Rescue in the Project Lifesaver program.
“Project Lifesaver is a valuable tool for police in our efforts to find vulnerable people who have been reported lost or missing in our community”, says North Bay Police Inspector of Operations, Jeff Warner. “This technology helps us find people quickly in the most efficient manner available.”
According to the Alzheimer Society of Canada’s website, during the progression of the disease, 60%* of individuals will wander away from home at least once, and 50%* of wanderers not found within 24 hours are at risk of serious injury or even death. The website states that with Project Lifesaver, the average rescue time to locate a missing person is 30 minutes – greatly reducing the potential for injury and may save the life of a loved one.
If you would like to register an individual or are seeking further information about the program, please contact the North Bay Police Service at 705-472-1234, or a BAYSAR volunteer at 705-477-3713.
