From time to time, you would see people sharing on social media about their parents or grandparents who go missing.
They may have left the house on their own, and can’t seem to find their way home.
This seems to be a common occurance for seniors with dementia.
How do you deal with this situation?
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Keep them occupied
It would be good to schedule a daily routine for them and look for senior activity centres for them that is near your home.
Keep them occupied with activities like Mahjong or even getting involved with simple household tasks that they can take on.
Be prepared
Having an Identification Card
Keep a card with the senior’s address/ home number or contact details of the next of kin in their wallet so that if they get missing, the people who find them will know who to contact.
You can also register for a Safe Return Card from Alzheimer’s Disease Association.
It is an identification card to protect and help persons with dementia. The card provides a source of identification when they are lost.
Getting a GPS Tracker
There are GPS Trackers that you can purchase to help track your seniors if they do get lost or have trouble finding their way.
Some of these trackers allow seniors to press a button and communicate with their emergency contacts.
If they leave certain pre-set “safe” areas of their homes or neighbourhoods, the device is also able to send an alert to the loved ones.
Some GPS trackers in Singapore are SOS Buddy and OMG Solutions.
Finding your lost loved ones
In the event that your loved ones do get missing, you can post a missing persons notice about them on the Dementia Friends mobile app.
You can include details of seniors like photographs as well as their personal appearances.
The mobile application is developed by Agency for Integrated Care.
The feature of being able to post about your missing loved ones is a useful one, as community networks and the police will be notified of the missing person.
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