 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
Back
|
Bracelets help safe return of loved ones
By STEPHEN NOHLGREN, Times Staff Writer
MADEIRA BEACH -- Because of Alzheimer's disease, Edward Birkner thinks his wife Elizabeth is his sister, or maybe the maid. He struggles to finish sentences. But he still has his moments. Last October, Birkner, 83, wandered from his beachfront condo with $9 and an American Express card in his pocket. He somehow managed to get to Tampa International Airport, where he bought a cheap ticket to New York City, pretty much making a beeline toward his summer home just north of the city. At LaGuardia Airport, his odyssey took a detour. Maybe he gave jumbled directions to a cabbie. Maybe a willing stranger gave him ride, then got fed up with his confusion. In any event, he ended up on the shoulder of the Connecticut Turnpike, 1,200 miles from home, shivering in his short-sleeves. Birkner's journey -- aside from its resourceful cross-country scope -- typifies a common yearning among people with serious dementia. They want to "go home," even though they are already home. They fixate on a destination, but have no idea where it really is. What saved Birkner was a thin silver ID bracelet wrapped around his left wrist, courtesy of the Safe Return program run by the Alzheimer's Association. The bracelet listed a 24-hour hotline. Association computers immediately identified Birkner, where he lived, what medications he needed and whom to contact if he got lost. Within hours, his son from Massachusetts drove to Connecticut and picked him up. Sixty percent of people with dementia eventually wander, says Gloria Smith, director of the association's Florida Gulf Coast Chapter. "They can be miles away in a matter of minutes. These folks can really cook." Other identification programs may list a wanderer's name and address, which can work if home is nearby and the caregiver is available. The Safe Return bracelet works anywhere in the country. One Hernando County couple recently were visiting their daughter in Texas when the husband took off in the middle of the night, Smith says. A San Antonio sheriff's deputy found him 5 miles from his daughter's house. The Safe Return computer listed the wife and their Hernando residence as the man's first contact. But that didn't help because the wife was in San Antonio. The second contact was a son in Massachusetts, the third contact the daughter in Texas. Bingo. Since it began 10 years ago, the Safe Return program has enrolled 100,000 people. About 8,000 have wandered far enough for strangers to call in and report them lost. The program costs a one-time fee of $40, which includes the bracelet, ID tags for clothing and advice on modifying homes to reduce wandering. Glitzier, more expensive prevention systems also have hit the market, including motion sensors for doors and windows, electronic alarms and a watch-like wrist band that emits a radio signal, traceable up to a mile away by someone carrying a receiving antenna. Those who can afford it can even track down their loved ones with satellites. The same GPS systems that help American troops locate their positions in the Iraqi desert can now be strapped on a wanderer's wrist. It looks like watch and can pinpoint a person's location down to a few yards. The one-time cost is about $400, plus a monthly service charge between $25 and $35. Ed Birkner was always an accomplished traveler. He served as a navigator on World War II bombers. He prided himself on reading maps and getting around cities. He and his wife have traveled to dozens of foreign countries. After his dementia showed up a few years ago, Birkner kept talking about going back to New York when he was in Florida. When he was in New York for the summer, he would talk about going back to Florida. At first, his wife resisted the notion of an identity bracelet. "I didn't think he needed it," she says. "I thought it was foolish." Birkner sometimes headed out of their Madeira Beach condo, saying he wanted to go to New York. But then he'd hang around the ground floor until she retrieved him. In September, their son Jeff ordered the Safe Return bracelet and persuaded his mother to use it. A month later, Birkner went downstairs and never came back. "I didn't think anything of it at first," says Elizabeth Birkner. "Where is he going to go with no money? I thought someone would find him or call." At 8 p.m., she alerted the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. At 2:30 the next morning, Connecticut state police called. Ed was in a Greenwich hospital. Now, she's a believer. The bracelet is "a lifesaver. The people at the Alzheimer's Association were fantastic." Ed Birkner shows no sign of resenting his bracelet. It's just a piece of jewelry. His wandering itch appears to remain strong. Listening to his wife relate his experiences, he offered one comment: "I like the business of moving around." For information Safe Return program: Call the Alzheimer's Association-Florida Gulf Coast Chapter at 1-800-772-8672 or visit www.alz-tbc.org. GPS tracking: Call Wherify Wireless at 1-877-943-7439 or visit www.wherifywireless.com.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
Headlines From the Times local news desks |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
