It has to be one of the most desperate and emotional experiences for tens of thousands of families every year.  Imagine how you would feel if a loved one — who is elderly, fragile and mentally impaired — has simply disappeared.  More than 5.1 million people have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and many have other forms of dementia or mental impairments.  They are inflictions of the mind, usually due to aging, that can lead to memory loss and even disorientation.  According to the Alzheimer’s Association, a staggering 60% of those with some form of dementia will wander from home at least once, sometimes putting themselves in danger and unable to find the way back home.

In 2004 that horrible fear became a reality for the family of Mattie Moore.  She was a 68 year old Alzheimer’s patient who wandered away from her Atlanta home.  Her disappearance sparked a massive citywide effort to find her.  Search teams, police and volunteers combed neighborhoods all over the city looking for her, to no avail.  Eight months later, her skeletal remains were found in a wooded area about a mile from where she disappeared.  Mattie’s story inspired a movement in Atlanta.  

Ten States Have Alert Systems When Memory Impaired People Wander, Five States Are Considering Them and Congress is Proposing a National System.

City officials and residents wanted to do all they could to prevent this from happening again.  They developed a warning system to alert the public when a disoriented person goes missing.  Much like Amber Alerts for children, this warning system triggered bulletins to media, law enforcement and displayed information on freeway information signs and billboards.  The city system was extended statewide and it was named “Mattie’s Call” after the woman who focused so much attention on the dangers of memory challenged patients wandering off and possibly never returning home.

“Time is of the essence, especially this time of year when the weather is colder that these elderly people are found and returned home,” says John Bankhead of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation or GBI.  That agency is the central coordinator for the thousands of city, county and state law enforcement agencies that take 911 calls about missing people.  One call to a police department triggers a statewide alert from the GBI — posting information on freeway signs and broadcasts by the media.  “This type of alert system is very helpful,” says Bankhead.  “As far as I can tell it’s been very successful in getting the information out to the public to where these people could be found and returned home safely.”  Since it’s inception in 2006, 67 Mattie’s Calls have been issued in Georgia and all 67 of those missing were found alive and returned to their families.

That perfect record is something Mary Collins can verify.  Her husband Roosevelt was one of those 67 people that wandered from home and went missing.  She says he simply walked out, something she didn’t realize until a family member stopped by and asked where Roosevelt was.  “I said he’s downstairs watching TV and my daughter-in-law came in the front door and it was standing open.  That’s when we determined he wasn’t in the house,”  Collins says.  He was missing for the better part of the day.  Mary called 911 and a Mattie’s Call was issued statewide.  

Sobering Statistics from the Alzheimer Association Show how Public Bulletins Like

The Alzheimer’s Association says 95% of those who go missing are found within 1/4 mile of their home, so they don’t wander far.  But like Roosevelt, they could become disoriented and fall leaving themselves within steps of home, but helpless, injured and exposed to harsh elements.  Mary found Roosevelt later that hot August day.  True to the statistic that they don’t wander far, Roosevelt was not far from the back door of his house.  Mary was shocked to find that he had simply slipped and fell in a nearby ditch.  “I walked down the embankment and I heard this little voice saying ‘help me’ and he had fallen down the embankment and rolled under a bush.” 

Statistics show that even though memory impaired seniors do not go far, the seriousness of their disappearance is very real and catching national attention.  In fact, Bankhead says if they are not located within 24 hours, the chances of serious injury or even death is very high.  As of this year, nine states have alert systems typically called “Silver Alerts.”  Five more states are considering similar alert systems and Congress is looking at making it national.  For information, help and services for memory-impaired adults and their families visit the Alzheimer’s Foundation website at www.alz.org or call their 24 hour helpline at 800-272-3900.

CLICK THE PLAYER BELOW TO WATCH THE STORY I PUT TOGETHER WITH MARIANNE SILBER AND JEFF BURTON.

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