Free MedicAlert services available to community members at risk for wandering through Mesa and Apache Junction police departments
MedicAlert Foundation Forms Partnership with Local Law Enforcement to Provide Free Medical Jewelry and 24/7 Wandering Assistance Services to Protect Vulnerable Community Members
MESA, Arizona (June 10, 2016) – MedicAlert Foundation has partnered with the Mesa and Apache Junction Police Departments to protect vulnerable residents at-risk for wandering and becoming lost, as well as to provide assistance during the search for a missing community member. Through the partnership, both law enforcement agencies are now able to enroll local residents (and their caregivers), via an online portal, into the MedicAlert national registry/database to receive a free medical bracelet and free 24/7 emergency support services. MedicAlert is an important part of the overall safety plan for families with a loved one at risk for wandering as incidents have a 98% success rate when MedicAlert products and services are utilized.
The wandering statistics are staggering; especially as they relate to Alzheimer’s and autism. 6 in 10 adults with Alzheimer’s or related dementia will wander. 50% of individuals with autism spectrum disorders will elope. Additional research states that if wandering residents are not located within 24 hours, 61% of those wandering individuals are found deceased. MedicAlert has developed specialized services to address wandering emergencies: MedicAlert® + Alzheimer’s Association Safe Return® and MedicAlert Found® help to provide additional resources during a wandering event for those with Alzheimer’s or related dementia as well as children and adults with autism spectrum and developmental disorders. Both MedicAlert programs work with the families of missing loved ones and local law enforcement to create a community network system that aims at quickly finding the missing individual, ensuring they receive medical care if needed, and reuniting them with family.
Due to the serious and emotional nature of wandering incidents, many often overlook the impact that they place on law enforcement agency resources. According to the New York Times, search and rescue operations typically cost $1,500 per hour, and low-tech rescue operations average nine hours. MedicAlert’s service model is specifically designed to aid law enforcement during the search for a missing community member. “The information MedicAlert provides has been proven to save time, resources, and most importantly, it saves lives,” says Justin Noland, Program Director at MedicAlert. “We partner with law enforcement on everyday emergencies, so it only makes sense that we work together more closely to offer free services to vulnerable community members and provide patrol officers with additional resources to ensure successful wandering outcomes.”
To sign-up your loved ones for the free MedicAlert program, please contact the Mesa Police Department at (480) 644-5014 or Serene Carney, Community Resource Coordinator, with the Apache Junction Police Department at (480) 474-5442.
About MedicAlert Foundation
MedicAlert Foundation pioneered the first emergency medical information and identification service in 1956 to provide people with a simple but effective method for communicating their medical conditions. Since the organization’s founding, the Foundation has provided services and products that help to protect and save lives for its 4 million members worldwide. For more than 50 years, the nonprofit has relayed vital medical information on behalf of its members to emergency responders so they receive faster and safer treatment. MedicAlert IDs alert emergency personnel to a member’s primary health conditions. In addition to its 24-hour emergency response service, MedicAlert Foundation also provides family and caregiver notification so that members can be reunited with their families. Visit www.medicalert.org for more information.
Contact:
Jillian Megee
MedicAlert Foundation
209.669.2460
