MELROSE 一 Micheal L. Lyle gave a presentation about the Melrose Alert Program on Wednesday, Oct. 11, as part of the Massachusetts Councils on Aging (MCOA) Annual Conference, held Oct. 9-12 at the Double Tree by Hilton in Danvers.
During Lyle’s time as police chief in Melrose, the Police Department and Council on Aging created a proactive recovery plan designed to provide rapid response in locating cognitively impaired residents who have been reported missing. The plan supports residents with serious cognitive impairments such as autism and Alzheimer’s, or another condition that puts them at risk for wandering or getting lost.
Lyle’s presentation was informed by his years of experience assigned to the Mass. Chiefs Silver Alert and Amber Alert Committees, both of which serve to make a difference in the lives of people living with serious cognitive illness while supporting caretakers and family members within the community.
The program was sparked by the prevalence of incidents where community members with cognitive impairments wander. Sixty percent of people with dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease engage in wandering behavior, and six in 10 people living with dementia will wander at least once – many do so repeatedly.
Nearly half (49 percent) of parents reported that a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) engages in wandering behavior.
The wandering behavior puts these individuals in danger of drowning, sustaining traffic injuries, falling, increasing the risk of encounters with strangers, going without necessary medications, severe sun exposure, dehydration, and hypothermia.
The Council on Aging helps to get the word out to adults, children, eldercare and home care agencies, senior housing leaders and care managers, first responders, doctors, and more. The Council also helps to respond to inquiries about the program and registers at-risk residents.
The Melrose Police Department and many other police agencies along with their local Council on Aging Association provide a registration form on websites or in person. Once registered, the Police Department will take up-to-date photographs of the resident along with listing any locations where they frequently visit. This confidential information will be kept on file for immediate use in the event a person is reported missing.
When someone is reported missing, the following steps are initiated:
- Police are notified
- Officer is dispatched
- Police Dispatch identifies whether a missing person is registered under the local Alert program. If registered, the information is available immediately to the responding officer on the cruiser tablet
- If not registered or no alert program, the family needs to provide information, which takes time and delays the police response to locate
Residents with a family member of any age suffering from a serious cognitive impairment are encouraged to register their loved one before a serious situation arises.
Residents may sign up through the Melrose Council on Aging or at the Melrose Police Department online or in person.