Safe and Found Online
Living With Dementia
People living with dementia are sometimes identified as being vulnerable or at risk in certain situations and can be at higher risk of getting lost or going missing. This is due to some of the cognitive symptoms that they may experience, such as:
- Memory loss
- Problems with concentrating, planning & organising, including making decisions & problem solving.
- Communication difficulties
- Difficulties with orientation
About Dementia
Dementia is an umbrella term for several diseases affecting memory, other cognitive abilities and behaviours that can negatively impact a person’s ability to maintain their activities of daily living. There are over 200 subtypes but the most commonly known are :
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Vascular dementia
- Mixed dementia ( often a combination of Alzheimer’s diseases and vascular dementia)
- Lewy body dementia
- Frontotemporal dementia
It’s estimated that 4 out of 10 people living with dementia who live in their own homes will get lost at least once. This is because dementia can cause memory loss, confusion, problems with language and understanding and changes in behaviour which therefore makes people more likely to get lost or confused about where they are going and not be able to find their way back.
When someone goes missing, the police will try to find them and return then to a safe place. To do this, information is key and by completing Safe and Found Online with as much detail as possible, it will enable the police to look in the most likely places to find them as quickly as possible.
If you need to make a missing person report to the police, this can be stressful experience and it is much easier to give the information to the police on a form that has been filled out when you are calm and relaxed, when you are less likely to forget critical information.
We recommend you regularly review the information if, for example, there are changes to the weekly routine, there have been any other changes to the profile, or the subject of the record has been missing (not just cases reported to the police and should include any unexplained absences). As well as a recent passport style photo, it can be helpful to upload a photo of what the subject is wearing on each occasion they go out. The Police have told us this very valuable when out looking for people who are reported missing.
We hope Safe and Found Online can play it’s part in helping support people living with dementia and allow them to continue living an independent life. For as long as possible. For advice and help on all aspects of living with dementia, please visit these charities’ and organisations’ valuable resources:-
Alzheimer’s Society: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk
Dementia UK: https://www.dementiauk.org
Alzheimer’s Scotland: https://www.alzscot.org/
Dementia Tip Share: https://dementiatip-share.org.uk/
Innovations In Dementia: http://www.innovationsindementia.org.uk/
