CaringKind Helped Find a Missing Person
A Person with Dementia Went Missing
On a chilly Friday late afternoon in December, just a day after a nor-easter left the New York area, every caregiver’s worst nightmare happened: the person in their care went missing. A 75-year old Russian-speaking woman from Long Island wandered in Brooklyn. New York City issued a Missing Vulnerable Adult Alert, a system designed to alert the public of a missing vulnerable senior.
CaringKind Took Action
The woman was last seen in Brooklyn, so CaringKind’s Wanderer’s Safety Program team sprang into action. Staff posted information about the woman on social media and contacted the detective who was handling the case. Next, we created and emailed a Missing Person Bulletin to hospital emergency rooms and admitting departments, social workers, and several New York City Police Department Neighborhood Coordination Officers (NCOs).
The Person with Dementia Was Found!
Just a few hours later, the missing woman was found! Shortly after the WSP email blast, an NYPD NCO who received CaringKind’s email recognized the woman walking in Coney Island. The officer approached her, confirmed her identity, escorted her to a nearby police precinct, and contacted her family. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of the police, MedicAlert, and the CaringKind MedicAlert NYC Wanderers Safety Program, the woman was reunited safely with her family less than 24 hours after going missing.
To help us help the next person who wanders away from safety, please consider supporting CaringKind with a donation.
For more information about enrolling in the Wanderer’s Safety Program, go to: caringkindnyc.org/wandersafety