On Tuesday, July 30, Steve, a 60 year-old-man with cognitive impairments went missing from a Board and Care facility in Long Beach. Authorities were notified Wednesday afternoon and were able to track Steve’s location using his Project Lifesaver bracelet. He was found safe one mile away from where he was last seen.
Fourth District County Supervisor Janice Hahn’s office celebrated LA Found program’s 10th and 11th rescues Thursday since the program launched last year. The program assists emergency crews in locating people who go missing via a tracking bracelet.
Two people with cognitive impairments went missing and were located this week and returned safely to their families because they were wearing LA Found trackable bracelets.
“I launched LA Found because I knew that this technology would save lives,” Hahn said. “Both of these men were found safe and reunited with their loved ones thanks to LA Found. This program works. If you have [a] loved one who suffers from Alzheimer’s, dementia or autism, I encourage you to learn more about LA Found and see if a trackable bracelet is right for your family.”
A 78-year-old Downey resident with Alzheimer’s was with his family at the Banc of California soccer stadium in Exposition Park on the evening of Friday, July 26, when he walked away from his family and went missing, according to a press release.
An LA Sheriff’s Department Mental Evaluation Team used a Project Lifesaver receiver to track his bracelet’s location. The individual was safely located at 11:58pm at 11401 Alameda St., Los Angeles. Despite using a walker, he was able to walk 7.1 miles away from the stadium before he was located. He was also treated for exposure, the press release stated.
On Tuesday, July 30, a 60 year-old-man with cognitive impairments went missing from a board-and-care facility in Long Beach. Authorities were notified Wednesday afternoon and were able to track the man’s location using his Project Lifesaver bracelet. He was found safe one mile away from where he was last seen, according to the press release.
LA Found is a program established by the LA County Board of Supervisors in Sept. of 2018 which aims to find people who wander quickly and reunite them with their families. It uses a system of voluntary, trackable bracelets given to individuals with Alzheimer’s, autism, dementia or other cognitive impairment that puts them at risk of wandering. Each bracelet corresponds with a unique radio frequency. When a person wearing a bracelet goes missing, the LA County Sheriff’s Department Mental Evaluation Team can use a handheld receiver or a receiver mounted on a helicopter to track the person’s location.
Currently, more than 346 trackable bracelets have been distributed to LA County residents.
To learn more about the program and apply for a free trackable bracelet, caregivers can visit LAFound.com.
