Project Lifesaver Continues on its Successful Mission of “Bringing Loved Ones Home”
PORT SAINT LUCIE, Fla. (PRWEB) October 17, 2017 -- With the rapid increase in special needs diagnoses, elopement cases have also been on the rise. Wandering behavior is a very common, yet life-threatening behavior among those with a cognitive condition, which is why it is imperative to locate these individuals as quickly as possible when elopement occurs. Project Lifesaver, the leading Search and Rescue (SAR) program for those with special needs, has been the gold standard solution for special needs wandering for nearly two decades. Available all throughout the United States and Canada, Project Lifesaver provides the means necessary for first responders to locate special needs wanderers in a timely manner through the use of Radio Frequency locating equipment and specialized SAR techniques.
Over the span of the two consecutive weeks rounding out September and the beginning October, Project Lifesaver member agencies reported the successful recovery of 10 special needs individuals who had eloped:
1. 9/24/17: A rescue of an 85-year-old male with Alzheimer’s occurred in Edgartown, Massachusetts. The individual was located 2.5 miles from his last known location.
2. 9/24/17: A rescue of a 71-year-old male with Dementia occurred in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. The individual was located a quarter mile from his last known location.
3. 9/27/17: A rescue of an 85-year-old male with Dementia occurred in Florence, Alabama. The individual was discovered to still be in the building he was last seen, only on a different floor.
4. 9/28/17: A rescue of a 91-year-old male with Dementia occurred in Whippany, New Jersey. The individual was located just under a mile from his last known location in a nearby park.
5. 9/30/17: A rescue of a 17-year-old male with Autism occurred in Pemberton, West Virginia. The individual was located 2.5 miles from his last known location.
6. 10/1/17: A rescue of a 17-year-old male with Autism (the same individual from the rescue above) occurred in Pemberton, West Virginia. He was located 8 miles from his last known location.
7. 10/3/17: A rescue of a 73-year-old male with Dementia occurred in Green Creek, New Jersey. The individual was located 2 miles from his last known location.
8. 10/3/17: A rescue of a 78-year-old male with Alzheimer’s occurred in Eight Mile, Alabama. The individual was located 5 miles from his last known location.
9. 10/3/17: A rescue of a 84-year-old male with Dementia occurred in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. The individual was located just under a mile from his last known location.
10. 10/6/17: A rescue of a 31-year-old male with Autism occurred in Heath, Ohio. The individual was located a quarter of a mile from his last known location in a creek.
The average recovery time for this set of rescues is approximately 36 minutes; only slightly longer than Project Lifesaver’s overall average recovery time of 30 minutes, which is 95% less time than standard operations without Project Lifesaver. These rescues spanned across numerous settings from rural, heavily wooded areas to busy commercial areas, as well as residential neighborhoods, and each rescue occurred under varying weather conditions. With Project Lifesaver and its reliable technology and practices, special needs loved ones who have wandered can be located under any circumstance, including geographic region and weather conditions with little to no interference. Reliability and effectiveness are among the many reasons why nearly 1,600 member agencies across the U.S. and Canada trust Project Lifesaver to keep their special needs communities safe and protected!
“For nearly two decades, Project Lifesaver has been termed the gold standard in special needs search and rescue,” Chief Gene Saunders, CEO and Founder of Project Lifesaver International stated. “It’s in my opinion that our number of successful rescues, which continues to grow each year, explains exactly why that is. Project Lifesaver is a proven and trusted source of saving lives, and I am tremendously proud of each of the hard-working first responders who strive each day to keep our clients safe.”
Including this latest collection of rescues, Project Lifesaver International has successfully located 3,347 individuals since beginning its mission of “bringing loved ones home” more than 18 year ago.
About Project Lifesaver International:
Project Lifesaver International is a community based, public safety, non-profit 501(c) (3) organization whose mission is to protect, and when necessary, quickly locate special needs individuals with the propensity to wander, such as those with autism or dementia. The accredited non-profit organization was the first to apply state of the art locating technology, innovative Search & Rescue techniques, and accredited first responder training courses as a solution for special needs wandering; termed the gold standard in excellence, Project Lifesaver is the pioneer of the special needs SAR field.
Kyrianna Hoffses, Project Lifesaver International, http://www.projectlifesaver.org, +1 772-446-1714, [email protected]
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