MedicAlert Reunites Lost Elderly Man with Family

Turlock, CA (PRWEB) July 29, 2004 -- MedicAlert Foundation recently helped reunite 83-year-old Armia Damanpak with his family after a 911 caller reported a man wandering on the side of the road. Officer French of the California Highway Patrol responded to the call and realized that Damanpak did not speak any English or Spanish, and therefore could not provide information on who he was or where he lived.

The officer noted that Damanpak was wearing a MedicAlert emblem on his wrist, and called the number on the back of the emblem. MedicAlert provided him with information on Damanpak's emergency contact, his daughter, who lived nearby. Damanpak was then safely returned to his family.

"If Mr. Damanpak wasn't wearing his MedicAlert emblem, I would have had to take him to the Behavioral Health Center," said French. "It could have taken hours, maybe days, for someone to file a missing persons report, and reunite Mr. Damanpak with his family".

A nurse recommended that Damanpak's daughter, Georgette, enroll her father in MedicAlert after the first time he got lost and arrived at Emanuel Hospital in Turlock.

"My father is memory impaired and sometimes when he goes out, he becomes disorientated and gets lost," said Ms. Damanpak. "I am very grateful for MedicAlert, and appreciate all that they have done for my father."

Damanpak's story is typical of the many calls that come into the MedicAlert 24 hour Emergency Response Center. Reuniting individuals with their families is just one benefit of a MedicAlert membership. In an emergency, MedicAlert is able to provide emergency responders with vital personal and medical information including medications, dosages, allergies and medical devices.

MedicAlert is one of the largest nonprofit membership organizations in the world with a mission to protect and save lives. Since 1956, MedicAlert has relayed member's key medical facts to emergency medical personnel so that they receive faster, safer treatment, and avoid harmful or fatal reactions.

# # #