Project Lifesaver is an innovative rapid response program aiding victim's and families suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and related disorder such as Down syndrome and autism. By forming partnerships with local law enforcement and public safety organizations, Project Lifesaver deploys specially trained teams with the most reliable technology available to quickly locate and return wandering adults and children to their families and caregivers.

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How Project Lifesaver Works

Project Lifesaver relies on proven radio technology and a specially trained search and rescue team. People who are part of the Project Lifesaver program wear a personalized wristband that emits a tracking signal. When caregivers notify the local Project Lifesaver agency that the person is missing, a search and rescue team responds to the wanderer's area and starts searching with the mobile locater tracking system. Search times have been reduced from hours and days to minutes. In over 1000 searches, there have been no reported serious injuries or deaths. Recovery times average less than 30 minutes. The Project Lifesaver bracelet is much more than a passive ID bracelet. It is a one-ounce battery-operated radio wrist transmitter emitting an automatic tracking signal every second, 24 hours a day. The signal is tracked on the ground or in the air over several miles. As each bracelet has a unique radio frequency, the Project Lifesaver search team positively locates and identifies the person who has wandered away from home or a care facility.

Statistics

• Over 1000 Rescues across the Nation
• 100% Success Rate
• Average time of rescue is 22 minutes

What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive condition that damages areas of the brain involved in memory, intelligence, judgment, language, and behavior. It is the most common form of mental decline, or dementia, on older adults.

Alzheimer’s disease is more severe than the mild memory loss that many people experience as they grow older. It affects not only memory but also behavior, personality, ability to think, and the ability to function from day to day. Close family members usually notice symptoms first, although the person affected also may realize that something is wrong.

What causes Alzheimer's Disease?

Scientists do not yet fully understand what causes AD. There probably is not one single cause, but several factors that affect each person differently. Age is the most important known risk factor for AD. The number of people with the disease doubles every 5 years beyond age 65. Family history is another risk factor. Scientists believe that genetics may play a role in many AD cases. For example, familial AD, a rare form of AD that usually occurs between the ages of 30 and 60, can be inherited. However, in the more common form of AD, which occurs later in life, no obvious family pattern is seen. One risk factor for this type of AD is a protein called apolipoprotein E (apoE).

Everyone has apoE, which helps carry cholesterol in the blood. The apoE gene has three forms. One seems to protect a person from AD, and another seems to make a person more likely to develop the disease. Other genes that increase the risk of AD or that protect against AD probably remain to be discovered. Scientists still need to learn a lot more about what causes AD. In addition to genetics and apoE, they are studying education, diet, environment, and viruses to learn what role they might play in the development of this disease.

PET Scan of Normal Brain		PET Scan of Alzheimer's Disease Brain

What are the symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease?

Typical early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease include:

Memory loss

Inability to use judgment and make decisions

Confusion about what time and day it is

Getting lost in familiar places

Difficulty learning and remembering new information

Difficulty expressing himself or herself

As the disease progresses, these symptoms get worse. The person may also develop strange new behaviors and withdraw from family and friends. Hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia are common; some people may become verbally or physically aggressive or abusive. Eventually the person may forget how to perform basic tasks like eating, dressing, bathing, using the toilet, or getting up from a bed or chair and walking.

SENIOR PROGRAMS OFFERED BY THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE

• Adopt-A- Senior Program: Senior’s living alone with no family in the county are adopted by a Deputy Sheriff and is visited weekly.
• RUOK Program:We call seniors that need to be checked on each morning Monday—Friday to make sure they are OK.
• Project Lifesaver: For Alzheimer Patient’s or children with down syndrome or autism that may wander. We fit the client with a transmitter and use a receiver to home in to where the subject is when they wander away from home.
• VIPS: Volunteers In Police Service. You can volunteer to come and work at the Sheriff’s Office and assist in everyday operations at your leisure.
• Triad: This program which was established by the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office, American Association of Retired persons (AARP) and the National Sheriff’s Association. Triad promotes partnerships between senior citizens and the law enforcement community, both to prevent crime against the elderly and to help law enforcement understand the needs and concerns of the elderly.

For more information, call 828-465-8337 or 828-465-5421.