March 3, 2005 - Residents of Ontario will be the first 

Canadians to benefit from a new police training DVD 

entitled Alzheimer Disease: A Resource for Police & Search 

and Rescue Personnel when it is distributed to Ontario 

chapters of the Alzheimer Society next week. 

The new resource, one of several produced for the Alzheimer 

Society's Safely Home(TM) - Alzheimer Wandering Registry 

program, is a collaboration among the Alzheimer Society of 

Canada, the Alzheimer Society of Ontario, the Ontario 

Police College (OPC), the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) 

and other police and search and rescue groups across 

Canada.  The DVD, and accompanying material, will help 

train police for interactions with people who have 

Alzheimer Disease and related dementias.  

"The Alzheimer Society's registry has always been about 

peace of mind for people affected by Alzheimer Disease and 

related dementias," explains Stephen Rudin, executive 

director of the Alzheimer Society of Canada.  "Today the 

program is even better because of the input police groups 

have had in developing the new resources and because of the 

commitment they have made to use training materials created 

specifically for their members." 

The OPP also provided their expertise to assist in the 

creation of SEARCH is an EMERGENCY, a planning manual for 

organizations like long-term care facilities that care for 

people with Alzheimer Disease and related dementias.  The 

manual was a pilot project with select Ontario chapters of 

the Alzheimer Society and its purpose is to assist 

health-care professionals in case people in their care 

get lost.

"The OPP are committed to serving our communities and 

recognize the need to establish partnerships with agencies 

such as the Alzheimer Society of Ontario and Canada," says 

Sgt. Don H. Webster, Provincial Search and Rescue 

Coordinator.  "By lending our expertise to a training DVD 

for police and search and rescue personnel, we are able to 

do our jobs better and people with Alzheimer Disease 

benefit from our heightened awareness.  It's a winning 

combination for all parties."

Approximately twenty to sixty per cent of people with 

dementia will become lost outside the home and research 

indicates that it is vital to locate a lost person as 

quickly as possible to reduce the chance of injury or 

death.  

The Safely Home registry lists names and other pertinent, 

personal information in a confidential database that can be 

accessed only by police in Canada and the US.  

The one time fee to register is $25 (that includes a 

bracelet with an identification number, a Caregiver 

Handbook and ID cards) so while registrants have relatively 

nothing to lose by adding their name to the database, they 

have everything to gain if they require the service some 

time in the future.  Currently, 18,500 Canadians are 

registered with the program.

News Conference Today

Media are invited to attend a viewing of Alzheimer Disease: 

A Resource for Police & Search and Rescue Personnel that 

dramatizes five everyday scenarios where police interact 

with people who have Alzheimer Disease.  Alzheimer Society 

and OPP spokespersons will be available to discuss the new 

materials, as will caregivers who have been helped by the 

Safely Home registry. 

The news conference is taking place at the OPP detachment 

at 2682 Keele St. (at the 401, west side of Keele).  It 

will begin at 10:00 a.m.

Over 11,055 residents of Ontario are registered with Safely 

Home.  An estimated 157,850 Ontarians over 65 have 

Alzheimer Disease or a related dementia.  Alzheimer Disease 

is a progressive, degenerative disease that destroys vital 

brain cells.  It is the most common form of dementia, 

accounting for about 64 per cent of all dementias in 

Canada. 

About the Alzheimer Society of Canada

Founded 27 years ago, the Alzheimer Society of Canada is a 

not-for-profit health organization dedicated to helping 

people affected by Alzheimer Disease.  The Society provides 

support and educational programs for people with Alzheimer 

Disease, their families and caregivers, and promotes public 

education.  The Society also funds research into finding 

the cause and cure for the disease and into improved 

methods of caregiving.  Please visit www.alzheimer.ca for 

more information about the Society and Alzheimer Disease.