Living Safely with Dementia

When Alzheimer's disease and other dementias progress, the person living with the disease has the potential to go missing. This situation presents a serious safety concern, but know that help and support is available.

Staying safe

Finding Your Way®

Finding Your Way® is a program coordinated by the Alzheimer Society of Ontario that is dedicated to helping people living with dementia, their families, caregivers and communities to recognize the risk of going missing, be prepared for incidents of going missing, and ensure that people with dementia can live safely in the community.

Note that this service is only available for people living in Ontario.

The Finding You Way website contains information on risk factors, strategies to reduce risk of getting lost, tools to help create a safety plan and information about locating technology.  It also houses the Finding Your Way’s new Living Safely with Dementia Interactive Resource Guide. Copies of this Resource Guide are also available from your local Alzheimer Society office.

To find out more, click this link to be taken to the Finding Your Way website.

MedicAlert®

MedicAlert® is a nationwide service designed to help identify a person living with dementia who has gone missing. The service also ensures that the person returns to their family safe and sound.

To find out more, click here to be taken to the MedicAlert®  website.

https://medicalert.ca/

 

Local Initiatives

Vulnerable Person Registry - In Simcoe County, local police may maintain their own Vulnerably Persons Registries that give them quick access to information about a person if they should go missing.  Please contact the police detachment in your community for more information.

Project Lifesaver - is a tracking device worn by vulnerable residents who have a tendency to wander. It is a watch-sized bracelet that emits a unique FM radio frequency signal every second. Police use a satellite receiver, and when someone goes missing, it’s tuned to pick up their frequency.  Please note, this program is only available to residents living in South Simcoe and the City of Barrie. 

For more information about this program, please click here to be taken to the Project Lifesaver Simcoe website.