Honoring L.A. Found

In honor of National Family Caregiver Month, Alzheimer’s Los Angeles is highlighting L.A. Found, a program that helps families caring for loved ones at home reduce the risk that their loved one will wander. The program also helps to increase the chances that loved ones who do wander from home will be found quickly and safely.

Everyone with memory loss is at risk of wandering. Indeed, 60% of people with dementia will wander at some point. Most of them will wander more than once. When a loved one wanders away, time is of the essence. Fifty percent of people not found within 24 hours will suffer serious injury or death.

L.A. Found is a Los Angeles County program that provides:
• Resources and training to help caregivers prevent wandering.
• Project Lifesaver bracelets to locate individuals if wandering does occur.

Project Lifesaver is a voluntary system of trackable bracelets for at-risk individuals. The bracelet works by emitting a radio frequency (RF) signal every couple of seconds.

When an individual wearing a bracelet goes missing, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deploys a specially equipped team to assist with search and rescue. Weather permitting, the Sheriff’s Department can also deploy helicopters with receivers to support the ground search team and help speed up locating the missing person.

When the person wanders, caregivers need to quickly call 911 and inform the operator that the missing person is wearing a Project Lifesaver bracelet. To apply for a Project Lifesaver bracelet in Los Angeles County, visit the Project Lifesaver webpage.

There are also other solutions available (such as cellular, GPS, or a combination of technologies) to help with wandering. If you are considering technology to help keep your loved one safe, we encourage you to investigate to determine the best fit for your family’s needs. For a list of solutions available, visit L.A. Found’s technology webpage.