By NICOLE MILSTEAD
Howard Mewes, 90, sometimes gets lost using public restrooms, his son says. That’s one reason why Mewes now lives in Mill Creek, a locked-down Springfield facility specializing in the care of people with Alzheimer’s disease.
People with Alzheimer’s and dementia may have a tendency to wander away from their houses or care facilities. Locked nursing homes such as Mill Creek are one answer, but other nursing homes employ tracking devices or alarms in case residents become confused and wander off.
And the Schuyler County Sheriff’s Office recently began to use a similar device that is available to the families of people who may become disoriented but still live at home.
Mewes’ son, Harold Watson, 73, moved his father to Mill Creek because he wanted him to be happy.
“If I take him out, he does get lost. If he goes to the bathroom, I have to be right there with him so he doesn’t get mixed up,” Watson said. “He doesn’t want to go out like he used to. He likes it there.”
Trudy Whittington, president of the Illinois County Nursing Home Association, said the state Department of Public Health tracks nursing home “elopements.”
“I can remember recently a woman went missing overnight in the winter and was found in a ravine,” she said.
At Mill Creek, any doors to the outside, closets, kitchen or laundry must be opened by keypad. In the case of a fire alarm, the locks open automatically. In addition, if a resident pushes on a locked door for more than 30 seconds, the door will open and an alarm will sound.
“We have to change the codes periodically because some residents watch what numbers are being pushed and try to input those numbers in the doors,” said administrator Jeanne Campbell.
Other approaches are available to help find people who have walked away from their residences or nursing homes:
* Schuyler County Sheriff Don Schieferdecker said his office received equipment and training in April for the Rapid Recovery tracking system, which is available to help the county and families find missing people.
The equipment includes a tracker in the sheriff’s office, a box in the person’s home and a tracking device for the patient, which looks like a Timex watch.
“It is pretty much impossible to remove. You could cut it, but you would really have to work at it,” Schieferdecker said.
Each tracking device sends out a unique signal and is controlled from the wearer’s home. The initial cost for each home is $300, and monthly maintenance for the device is $20.
More information about the Rapid Recovery system in Schuyler County is available from the sheriff’s department at 322-4366.
Morgan County has had the system for about two years, but chief deputy Mike Carmody said officers there have responded only once, to find a lost child with autism. The child was located within five minutes without the aid of the device.
* WanderGuard and Code Alert are tracking devices used by nursing homes. They are small and can be attached to a resident’s wrist, clothing, walker or wheelchair. When someone wearing one of the devices passes through an outside door, an alarm lets staff members know a patient is wandering off.
The WanderGuard system also can work without alarms. If a person wearing the device gets four to five feet from an external door, it can silently lock the door until the wearer leaves the area.
The bracelets are usually worn only by patients who have been identified as prone to wander off.
“It is not uncommon for a nursing home to have the alarm triggered six to 10 times a day,” said Jason Stevens, WanderGuard vice president of sales.
*MedicAlert is an identification bracelet or pendant with a toll- free emergency phone number and an identification number engraved on it. If a wearer becomes lost, an alert is put out by the community support organization. Someone who finds the person can call the emergency response number, and the operator contacts the individual’s family or caregivers.
The device costs $49.95, with a $25 annual renewal fee. More information is available by calling (888) 572-8566.
* Sangamon County has an Internet-based service that sends recorded messages to telephones in the area where a person has gone missing.
The city of Springfield has no tracking devices. If a person with Alzheimer’s wanders off, city police put out a missing-person’s alert and searches until they are found, said Ray Serati, a spokesman for the Springfield Police Department.
Originally published by NICOLE MILSTEAD STAFF WRITER [email protected].
(c) 2008 State Journal Register. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
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