According to the Alzheimers Association there are currently 5 million people who suffer from the disease within the U.S. alone, and more than half of those families struggle with the loved one wandering off. ‘Home Instead’ is a senior care company here in Lubbock, with locations across the nation and even in 17 other countries. Owner, Tracy Baugh said their new system ‘Missing Senior Network’ will help patients track their loved one much quicker.
“The missing senior network is dedicated to and customized to that individual,” said Baugh. “You put in the information of where that senior might wander off to, it could be businesses, friends, neighbors, family members.”
Baugh said that wandering is a very common problem for patients and that it can occur for many different reasons. When searching for the patient, ‘time is of the essence’ and every second counts. The company hopes that this program will help to save a lot of time. When the senior goes missing, a notification is sent to everyone within the ‘network’ letting them know to start looking.
“Their visual and auditory perception is going to change and they are really intentional about where they are going,” said Baugh. “It could be to an old job, a loved one, they can get lost or disoriented and it can get very dangerous.”
The website is free, and all family members have to do is create and account and plug in the personal information about the loved one. Baugh emphasized that its very crucial to do this as soon as you get the diagnosis.
To create an account you can go to: missingseniornetwork.com
