Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Tech Can Aid Search for Wandering Adults with Dementia
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
April 28, 2019

Share

LOS ANGELES — A new program that uses electronic bracelets to find missing people with dementia or autism has been launched in Los Angeles partly in response to the death of a 55-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s disease who wandered away from her husband during a visit to a museum.
During the desperate search for his wife that began in late 2016, Kirk Moody grew increasingly frustrated by the lack of communication between law enforcement and other agencies.

Wandering is a common problem associated with dementia and autism. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 60% of people with dementia will wander at some point while a study by the Interactive Autism Network found that 49% of children with autism will engage in wandering behavior.
“I called every county office there is,” Moody recalls. “And I found myself explaining things over and over because it was clear they weren’t talking to each other.”
Nancy Paulikas’ body was found five months later in a rugged canyon, miles from where she disappeared. Security camera video showed her walking on nearby streets, but a massive search with police dogs failed to locate her.

Electronic Bracelets Aid Search Efforts

With Moody’s input, the county started LA Found with the goal of establishing procedures to help police, sheriffs, fire departments, nursing homes and hospitals better coordinate their efforts.
The cornerstone of the program is a system of bracelets voluntarily worn by vulnerable people that can be located using electronic receivers carried in  Sheriff’s Department squad cars and helicopters.
More than 250 Los Angeles residents have been outfitted since October with the bracelets maintained by Project Lifesaver, a public safety nonprofit. At least four missing people have been located thanks to the technology, including a 53-year-old woman with dementia who wandered away from her family around Christmastime, said Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn.

Wandering is Common With Dementia and Autism

Wandering is a common problem associated with dementia and autism. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 60% of people with dementia will wander at some point while a study by the Interactive Autism Network found that 49% of children with autism will engage in wandering behavior.
“The county has law enforcement, we have our transit systems, we have our county hospital and nursing facilities. We have the coroner on the lookout for a Jane Doe or a John Doe,” Hahn said Wednesday. “And we’re making sure that they’re all talking to each other.”
Moody, 60, said he considers the renewed collaborative efforts “a huge victory” and he’s gratified that Paulikas has become the face of the new program.
Initial money for the bracelets came from the county, but funding has grown through donations from various state and local organizations.
Hahn said she believes the program is the first of its kind in the nation. She said officials from Colorado and other California counties have called expressing interest in replicating it.

DON'T MISS

Braves’ Jurickson Profar Hit With 80-Game PED Ban

DON'T MISS

Watch: City Demolishes Historic Chinatown Building to Make Way for Housing

DON'T MISS

The Mystery of Melania Trump’s Wedding Dress and an eBay Sale

DON'T MISS

Heading to Sierra? Prepare for Heavy Snow

DON'T MISS

Mexican National Caught in Fresno County Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking

DON'T MISS

CA Snowpack Is Near-Average. What Does This Mean for Water Supplies?

DON'T MISS

Shohei Ohtani Adds Another No. 1 to His Resume: MLB’s Best-Selling Jersey

DON'T MISS

Tush Push Is the Hottest Topic at the NFL League Meetings

DON'T MISS

U.S. Bank Executive Terry Dolan Dies in Plane Crash Near Minneapolis

DON'T MISS

Trump Administration Will Review Billions in Funding for Harvard

UP NEXT

U.S. Bank Executive Terry Dolan Dies in Plane Crash Near Minneapolis

UP NEXT

California Gov. Newsom Says the Democratic Brand Is ‘Toxic’

UP NEXT

Silver Fire Grows to 1,250 Acres, Threatens Homes in Inyo County

UP NEXT

Sue or Hold Back? The University of California Does Both as It Faces Trump’s Wrath

UP NEXT

Top Vaccine Official Resigns From FDA, Criticizes RFK Jr. for Promoting Misinformation, Lies

UP NEXT

California Food Banks Brace for Funding Cuts, and Not Only From the Trump Administration

UP NEXT

Cal State Automatically Admitting High School Students With Good Grades

UP NEXT

California Democratic Lawmaker Exaggerated His Record as a Police Officer

UP NEXT

Utah Becomes the First State to Ban Fluoride in Public Drinking Water

UP NEXT

Wilmer Flores’ 3-Run Homer in the 9th Inning Propels Giants to Victory Over Reds

Heading to Sierra? Prepare for Heavy Snow

12 hours ago

Mexican National Caught in Fresno County Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking

12 hours ago

CA Snowpack Is Near-Average. What Does This Mean for Water Supplies?

13 hours ago

Shohei Ohtani Adds Another No. 1 to His Resume: MLB’s Best-Selling Jersey

13 hours ago

Tush Push Is the Hottest Topic at the NFL League Meetings

13 hours ago

U.S. Bank Executive Terry Dolan Dies in Plane Crash Near Minneapolis

14 hours ago

Trump Administration Will Review Billions in Funding for Harvard

14 hours ago

Former MLB Pitcher CJ Wilson of Fresno on New Torpedo Bats: ‘Still Room for Innovation’

15 hours ago

Man Arrested After Shooting at Fresno’s Switch Nightclub

15 hours ago

Who Is Fresno’s ‘Fake’ ICE Agent? He Speaks Up

16 hours ago

Braves’ Jurickson Profar Hit With 80-Game PED Ban

NEW YORK — Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar has been suspended for 80 games without pay for performance-enhancing drug use. Major ...

11 hours ago

Jurickson Profar
11 hours ago

Braves’ Jurickson Profar Hit With 80-Game PED Ban

11 hours ago

Watch: City Demolishes Historic Chinatown Building to Make Way for Housing

Photo of First Lady Melania Trump
12 hours ago

The Mystery of Melania Trump’s Wedding Dress and an eBay Sale

12 hours ago

Heading to Sierra? Prepare for Heavy Snow

Miguel Obed Romero Reyes, 25, of Sinaloa, Mexico, pleaded guilty Monday, March 31, 2025, to trafficking more than 200,000 fentanyl pills after authorities seized the drugs during a traffic stop on Interstate 5. (DOJ)
12 hours ago

Mexican National Caught in Fresno County Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking

13 hours ago

CA Snowpack Is Near-Average. What Does This Mean for Water Supplies?

13 hours ago

Shohei Ohtani Adds Another No. 1 to His Resume: MLB’s Best-Selling Jersey

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) lines up for the goal line Tush Push play during the NFL championship playoff football game against the Washington Commanders, Jan. 26, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP File)
13 hours ago

Tush Push Is the Hottest Topic at the NFL League Meetings

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend