Support Agencies

Families in Need of Direction (FIND) is a non-profit, Florida based social service organization in partnership with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. Working closely with the JSO's Victim's Advocate's office, FIND provides advocacy services to families of missing persons and other non-crime victims. Families are encouraged to contact the family liaison as soon as the missing persons report is filed. This early contact supplies information that empowers the families to take some control of the situation.

The Alzheimer's Association is the world leader in Alzheimer research and support. Since its founding in 1980, it has provided nearly $140 million to support research into the prevention, treatment and eventual cure for Alzheimer's. A nationwide network of chapters offers frontline support to individuals affected by Alzheimer's with services that include 24/7 information and referral, safety services, and education and support groups.

Safe Return is a national, government-funded program of the Alzheimer Association that assists in the identification and safe, timely return of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias who wander off, sometimes far from home, and become lost.

The Alzheimer’s Association’s Safe Return Program is the only nationwide program of its kind. Since the program began in 1993, nearly 110,000 individuals have registered in Safe Return nationwide. The program has facilitated the recovery of more than 8,000 individuals to their families and caregivers with an over 99% success in safely returning those registered in the program.

The U.S. Congress created the Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center in 1990 to "compile, archive, and disseminate information concerning Alzheimer's disease" for health professionals, people with AD and their families, and the public. As a public, U.S. Government-funded resource, the ADEAR Center strives to be a current, comprehensive, unbiased source of information about AD. All our information and materials about the search for causes, treatment, cures, and better diagnostic tools are carefully researched and thoroughly reviewed by NIA scientists and health communicators for accuracy and integrity.

Government Agencies

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), one of the 25 institutes and centers of the National Institutes of Health, leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life. In 1974, Congress granted authority to form the National Institute on Aging to provide leadership in aging research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs relevant to aging and older people. Subsequent amendments to this legislation designated the NIA as the primary federal agency on Alzheimer’s disease research.

Articles and Pamphlets

Antecedents, descriptions and consequences of wandering in cognitively-impaired adults and the Safe Return program

This article focuses on those found alive.
Unattended wandering is a major problem in persons with dementia, such as those with Alzheimer's disease, and can result in those individuals becoming lost in the community. This article summarizes details about how and where persons with dementia become lost. Recommendations are provided on finding these individuals.

A look at deaths occurring in persons with dementia lost in the community

This article focuses on those found dead.
The purpose of this study was to examine cause of death in persons with dementia. Details are provided on how and where persons with dementia die after becoming lost.

People with Dementia Who Become Lost: Preventing Injuries and Death

This article focuses on strategies that can be used to find individuals who have become lost.

Helping the Lost Become Found

Information for caregivers about the problem of people with dementia becoming lost in the community

Caregivers Fact Sheet — Wandering in Dementia

New research conducted by faculty at the University of Florida describes the problem of people with dementia wandering away from their caregiver and becoming lost in the community. This fact sheet provides information for caregivers about the problem of wandering in persons with dementia, like Alzheimer's disease.

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