BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — Experts say that more than six million Americans 65-years-and-older may have dementia caused by Alzheimer's.
Miles For Memories in Calhoun County organized a program to help people with dementia get home safely if they wander off or simply get lost and can’t remember where to go.
“Bill would drive and and forget where he was going or get lost going to places that he was very, very familiar with, if he was alone,” Connie Skidmore shared with FOX 17.
She says she wished her husband would have worn a Miles For Memories bracelet.
“If he'd gotten stopped someplace or gotten someplace and went out to ask directions, the bracelet would have been good for him in that kind of condition,” she explained.
Skidmore doesn’t have dementia, but along with Sherri Sherban, founder of Miles for Memories, she wears a bracelet every day.
“The bracelets themselves, along with the "Help Home" program collectively, we have had more than 135 individuals that have been returned back home since we began the program in 2014,” Sherban said.
About 1,500 people use these bracelets in the Calhoun County area and, so far, they've distributed 3,500 bracelets throughout Michigan.
The organization, with the help of the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, holds training sessions for law enforcement, emergency response teams and anyone who works with seniors. There will be statewide training in November.
Although the bracelet is helpful for people with dementia, anyone can use it.
You can load information onto the bracelet, such as your name, emergency contacts, allergies, medications and more.
If something happens while you're wearing the bracelet, someone can scan the QR code on the back to learn your information and get you help.
The bracelets are not free, but you can apply for a scholarship to get one for you or a loved one.
