Click photo to enlarge
Lt. Arlis Rhodes of the Do&ntilde;a Ana County Sheriff's Department outfits an Alzheimer's patient with a bracelet that allows authorities to track him if he becomes lost. The sheriff's department issues the devices to county residents with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia as part of Project LifeSaver.
For a lot of caregivers of people with dementia, the number one fear is having their loved one wander off, which is something that happens in six out of 10 cases.

The Alzheimer's Association has a few programs that help prevent anything bad from happening to those who wander away from their caregivers.

"The idea with all of these programs are that caregivers have an awful lot of burden on them already," said Myles Copeland, communications director for the New Mexico chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.

The association offers a few programs to ease the stress and worry caregivers feel when caring for a person, who is most often their loved one, with dementia:

• MedicAlert + Alzheimer's Association Safe Return is a newer program. It's a 24-hour emergency response service. The person with dementia and their caregiver wear a silver bracelet that lists the emergency response phone number and can include important medical information such as allergies. If this person becomes lost, the person who finds them can call that number and help reunite them with their caregiver through a serial number. If something should happen to the caregiver, their loved one with dementia will be alerted.

ID jewelry for this program is $40 to $60.

• Project LifeSaver is similar to Safe Return. The person with dementia wears a radio tracking device that looks like a wrist watch. If they should ever wander off and get lost, their caregivers can alert the local sheriff's office.


Law enforcement, who are trained for this kind of search and have corresponding equipment, can then find the lost person with the radio bracelet and reunite them with their caregiver. More than New Mexico10 counties, including Doña Ana, have access to Project LifeSaver.

Usually, the sheriffs ask for a $20 donation a month to take part in the program, but if recipients cannot afford it, they're not going to make them pay. No one will be turned away.

• Comfort Zone is more like a GPS tracking program. The person with dementia carries a device that the caregiver can track on their phone and get alerts if they've wandered out of their "comfort zone" via text, mail or phone call.

Comfort Zone plans can start at around $40 per month.

About one in eight older people have Alzheimer's disease in the United States. It is the sixth leading cause of death and more than 15 million other citizens provide unpaid care for a person with dementia, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, which is the decline of mental abilities: memory loss, loss of thinking skills and problems with behavior.

It's not uncommon for a person to forget who they are, where they live and who their children are. And it's easy for them to wander away from home and get lost and find themselves in trouble.

People with dementia wander for many reasons. They could be remembering something from long ago and trying to get to a particular place. They could be running away from something and they could be completely lost and in a confusing search for something familiar, said Maia Sideris-Dorame, Alzheimer's Association Las Cruces regional manager.

Just last year, a 77-year-old Las Cruces man was hit by a car and killed on U.S. 70 while he was trying to cross it. He had Alzheimer's and had wandered away from his home, according to Sun-News reports.

In 2009, another 77-year-old local man was found dead about a mile away from his retirement home. He also had Alzheimer's and had wandered away from the facility and was found three weeks later, according to Sun-News reports.

"To get the Safe Return and the Project LifeSaver, it's just that extra peace of mind in case that ever happened," Sideris-Dorame said.

So far the Safe Return and LifeSaver programs have been the most popular programs in the area, Sideris-Dorame said.

Anyone interested in any of these programs can contact the regional Alzheimer's Association office at 575-647-3868.

Caregivers of those with dementia and Alzheimer's can join a free seven-week class, Savvy Caregiver, that starts Feb. 2 at the local association's location, 1121 Mall Drive.

The Alzheimer's Association's mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research. They also provide care and support for all those affected by the disease. The nonprofit organization also works to spread awareness and education and rounding up funds for Alzheimer's research.

Andi Murphy can be reached at 575-541-5453.

Alzheimer's Association


Location: Las Cruces branch of the Alzheimer's Association, 1121 Mall Drive

Info:, 575-647-3868

Savvy Caregiver

A seven-week class to enhance the skills of caregivers of those with dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Where: Las Cruces branch of the Alzheimer's Association, 1121 Mall Drive

When: 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 2 and every Friday for seven weeks

How much: Free

Info: 575-647-3868