DENNIS – The Dennis Police Department partnered with the Dennis Council on Aging to start the town’s Alzheimer’s/Endangered Person’s Registration.
The purpose of the database is to help improve response time when a person with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia is reported missing.
The registration is part of Dennis’s effort to implement the Massachusetts Silver Alert Community Response System on a local level.
Massachusetts Silver Alert Law outlines a set of procedures and communications protocols among state and local public safety and human services agencies.
“Over 60 percent of people with Alzheimer’s or a related disorder will wander,” said Deborah Thompson, Dennis Police Victim Services Coordinator. “Any family that is directly affected by dementia or other cognitive impairment should consider this registration. Very few families expect a family member to go missing until it happens for the first time.”
The collection of data after the person has already gone missing can delay an effective search for an hour of more and collecting data before an accident occurs enables the police to begin search procedures immediately.
“When searching for a person with dementia, every minute is crucial,” said Thompson. “Over half of all wanderers who are not found within the first 24 hours suffer serious injury or worse.”
Dennis residents with a loved one with a serious cognitive impairment are encouraged to pick up a registration form at the Dennis Police Department or the Dennis Council on Aging.
For more information contact Thompson at [email protected] or (774) 352-1472.
