Moore Launches Project Safe Return

The city of Moore has launched a new initiative to help identify lost people with dementia or Alzheimer's disease.

Wednesday, January 20th 2010, 3:19 pm

By: News 9


By Gan Matthews, NEWS 9

MOORE, Oklahoma – The city of Moore has launched a new initiative to help identify lost people with dementia or Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's, dementia, autism all rob people, especially seniors, of their memory. But a new program in Moore seeks to aid those who lose their memory and who lose their way.

Seniors can find food, fun and fellowship at the Brand Senior Center. Sometimes, though, for some seniors, the golden years grow clouded, and they become lost and disoriented.

"Seniors will wander out even if it's cold, they just don't realize," said Jeremy Lewis with Moore police. "They get away from their house, and they don't know they belong, even if their house is just a block away."

At Moore's Emergency Communications Center, Director Virginia Guild has developed Project Safe Return, a program that helps identify seniors and other memory-challenged persons.

"We take their picture and get their information as to where they live, their caregivers, etc. and we can match them up," said Virginia Guild with Moore Emergency Communications. "They just have to sign a form and get a picture taken."

Besides photos, Project Safe Return is taking advantage of a 21st Century breakthrough that sounds like it's right out of Star Trek; an iris scan. The scan takes a picture of the iris, converts it into a digital code and puts the information into a national databank. It allows law enforcement a quick identification of a memory-challenged person.

"If they're in the databank, the information comes up in seconds on what their name is, what their address is and who their contact individual would be," Dr. Max Venard with the Moore Eyecare Center said.

The Safe Return project has already helped identify a senior who was found walking outside during last month's snow storm.

"We knew who he was, we matched him up and his daughter is probably one of the first people ever signed up in our program, and she came and got him," Guild said.

Moore hopes to enroll more seniors who have trouble when they try to remember.

If you want to enroll in Project Safe Return or enroll a loved one, call Moore's Emergency Communications Center at 405-793-4478. All information will be confidential.

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