EmFinders

Wandering and elopement from assisted living community

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Wandering and elopement are real. Every day we hear of tragic stories of impaired individuals, seniors and children alike, who go missing for hours, even days, some from the most secure of communities, institutions, or homes. Recently I saw this story of a 68 year old man with dementia who wandered away from an assisted living community.  This man had no history of wandering yet it only takes one time, which can have dire consequences.  We at Emfinders are a team on a mission to help rescue the lost. 

The challenge is identifying a person at risk of wandering or elopment.  Emfinders has devleoped a Risk Assessment program to help care communities identify residents at risk with our Emfinders Elopement Program. This simple, non-clinical risk assessment form will help you evaluate each resident objectively, carefully and personally. Understanding the risk of elopement is the difference between a restless night and peace-of-mind for your caregivers, the resident and his or her family. With this elopement program, your staff can have a candid and informed conversation with the family members of your resident.

Autism and Wandering: 10 Facts You Need to Know

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Having a loved one diagnosed with Autism can be challenging. But realize that knowledge is power and that there are strides being made everyday in this area.  Below are 10 keys facts related to autism and the risk of wandering

1. ASDs affect people in different ways. Some people might share similar symptoms but also have severe differences in how they interact with others.

2. As early as infancy, a child might exhibit signs of autism by being unresponsive to people or focusing on one object for a long time. The child will usually speak later than other children and might have a tendency to shift restlessly in a back-and-forth rocking motion. Other symptoms include not playing pretend games, wanting to be alone, getting upset when anything changes and having unusual reactions.

3. According to a 2009 report noted by the Autism Society, autism has risen to 1 in every 110 births in the United States. That is 1 in 70 boys. 1.5 million Americans live with this disorder.

4. Experts aren't sure what causes autism, according to information at the National Institute of Neurological Institute and Stroke. It probably has to do with both genetics and environment. There is no cure; only symptoms and behavior that can be treated. The earlier it is treated, the more likely that the child will have a better life.

5. If parents have one autistic child, autism facts say that there is a 5 to 10 percent chance that other children will also have the disorder. Identical twins have a 60 percent chance that the other will have it.

6. Autistic children have a tendency to wander off. For whatever reason, a child might decide he wants to go somewhere, can't communicate his needs and instead makes a run for it. Experts are researching why this is. The Interactive Autism Network researches topics like this and does studies with family volunteers.

7. It is estimated that costs incurred for a child with autism throughout his life are $3.5 to $5 million and that this means $90 billion annually is spent on costs, including research, insurance, educational spending, housing, transportation, employment, caregiver costs and more.

8. Often, the autistic symptoms improve with age and proper treatment. However, children with severe cases might never be able to have a conversation. Children during adolescence might become depressed or exhibit behavioral issues. Autistic men and women will likely continue to need support services, but some are able to live and work normal lives within that support system.

9. Fifty-six percent of autistic students finish high school. And the cost for educating an autistic child is about $18,000 (1999-2000). This is almost three times the cost of a regular education, due to special education services.

10. The final idea of the autism facts is that Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is an act that allows parents with children under three years of age to take advantage of early intervention services. These services might include therapy to help a child talk, walk and socialize.
 
These are just a few autism facts. There is plenty of other support and research for parents with autistic children including the Autism Research Institute, Autism Society of America, the Center for Disease Control and Autism Speaks. It will be difficult sometimes to deal appropriately with a child who has a form of autism but there is a large network of parents going through the same thing.

Please share you experiences below.

EmFinders is dedicated to the rapid location and recovery of wandering or missing adults and children diagonsed with Autism

EmFinders Celebrates Autism Awareness Month

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The EmFinders Team Celebrates Autism Awareness Month and Lights It Up Blue

April 2nd is a day that many celebrate to bring awareness to Autism and Light It Up Blue. EmFinders joined in the celebration, showing support to this puzzling disorder by wearing blue and decorating our office.

Many people find various ways of supporting such as, lighting iconic landmarks, homes and offices with blue lights, dying their hair blue, and organizing walks. All ideas are welcomed in raising awareness and funds for this worthy cause.

We included our celebration activities below and want to know: How did you Light It Up Blue?

1. We break for blue — The EmFinders team loves to have fun, and we did just that on Monday. We celebrated with blue drinks, blue snacks … and eventually a room full of blue mouths!
2. Paint the office blue — We consider our colorful banner a work of art and a great team project!
3. Wear blue to work — We all proudly sported our blue clothing and — in some instances — even blue nail polish.
4. Blue lights — We all bought our blue lights and proudly displayed them for all our neighbors to see.

Give us a call — we'd love to hear from you.

Wandering from long-term care leads to exposure and tragedy

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A resident of an Indiana long-term care community died after wandering last week  It took law enforcement five hours to locate her, but she had passed away by the time her body was recovered.  It is unsafe to assume that these individuals won't find a way to elope and wander off from their communities.  We @ EmFinders are dedicated to preventing these tragedies.

EmFinders Wows them in San Diego and Seattle/Tacoma!

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The EmFinders team held some incredible demos this week for our partners in law enforcement, local civic organizations, non-profits, senior living providers, and media outlets that covered the events.   These were real-time, real-world emergency activations of our solution conducted at a 9-1-1 dispatch center.   "Rescues" took just 10-20 minutes for first responders to locate the missing person.    We at EmFinders know how successful our solution is when an emergency occurs -- we're just about at 100 rescues over the last 12 months.  These live demos give us a chance to show our partners and the communities just how incredibly useful the EmFinders technology is, for the missing individual, their caregiver, local community first responders, and the community at large.   Just watch a few of the video segments from various news stations who covered these two events -- really fun to watch too!

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/137225278.html

http://www.cbs8.com/story/16492493/chula-vistas-new-technology-to-find-missing-seniors

Winter Wandering & Hypothermia can be deadly

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Saw a story this week about an  80-year-old Maryland woman who wandered away from her caretakers’ home and was found by a neighbor about 75 minutes later suffering from hypothermia and injuries from a fall.  The temperature at the time was 31 degrees!  She survived fortunately.  She was not wearing shoes or a coat -- and of course no secure EmFinders device.  Maryland police deployed a helicopter and  the local Silver Alert notification calling system but it took a vigilant neighbor to find her.   Hypothermia for seniors can be fatal in minutes so caregivers should consider technology solutions like EmFinders for their loved ones, especially at this time of year.  

Keep Children with Autism from Wandering

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Keep Children with Autism from Wandering

It’s every parent’s worst nightmare: They turn their attention away from a child for just a moment to answer the phone or check dinner in the oven, and when they look again, the child is gone, and a frantic search begins.  

This scenario can be a problem for any parent, but parents of children with autism have special reason to be concerned. According to research conducted by the Interactive Autism Network, approximately half of parents surveyed reported that their children with autism who were between the ages of four to 10 attempted to wander, a rate that is almost four times higher than that of unaffected siblings.

The survey also revealed that between ages seven and 10, nearly 30% of children with autism engage in wandering behavior – a rate that is eight times higher than their unaffected siblings. The report also noted that 35% of the families participating in the survey said that their children can "never" or "rarely" provide their name, address or phone number. 

In addition to having a higher incidence of wandering, children with autism may be in greater danger when they become lost because they often experience difficulty finding their way home. They may also be less aware of common dangers such as traffic and bodies of water.  

However, there are steps parents can take to prevent children with autism from wandering away from home and to locate them quickly and recover them safely if they do. Here are some tips designed to keep children with autism safe:

Install an alert system on doors and windows: A system that sounds an alert whenever a door or window is opened can provide parents of autistic children some peace of mind. The main advantage is that parents are alerted immediately so that they can prevent the child from becoming lost.

Consider locks and fences that require adult assistance to operate: Placing latches and deadbolts high on doors or gates may be a great solution for parents of smaller children. 

Make sure the child knows how to swim: One of the most important steps parents can take to keep their children safe is to ensure the child knows how to swim. This does not completely eliminate the danger of a wandering child encountering water, but it is an added safety measure. 

Build a neighborhood network: Getting to know the neighbors can be an advantage. If neighbors are aware that the child has autism and have a number to call if they see the child wandering, they can alert parents so that the child can be recovered quickly.

Create a digital record and share with local first responders now:  Documenting important health and personal details about your child and providing this valuable information to first responders before an actual wandering can save time and help first responders.

Understand wandering patterns and "triggers":  Wandering occurs in various forms, may follow certain patterns and norms, and is often triggered by certain environmental or behavioral factors. The National Autism Association (www.naa.org) has a comprehensive list of these patterns and triggers to understand how to possibly prevent wandering. 

Think about an electronic tracking device: An electronic tracking device can be an invaluable tool in locating a missing child, and affordable devices are available. Consider one that is comfortable to wear but difficult for a child to remove without assistance and one that features technology that can instantly alert first responders to the child’s whereabouts.

With high rates of wandering for children with autism, it is natural for parents to be concerned, and the dangers associated with wandering are unfortunately very real. However, with foresight and planning, parents can create a safer environment for children with autism, taking common sense steps to prevent children from wandering and taking advantage of additional resources to quickly locate and recover children who do become lost.

Written by: Patrice McAree See other articles by Patrice McAree
About the Author:

Patrice McAree is president of EmFinders, a technology company that has developed a device and subscription service for locating impaired adults and children who wander and become lost. Learn more at www.emfinders.com.

Elopement Happens - Emfinders Quick and Safe Recovery

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Emfinders Emseeq vs GPS in locating the critical missing

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When Chris Buehler I and started Emfinders it was to help those who needed it most,  individuals with Alzheimer’s,  dementia, children with autism, or any other member of society that would not or could not call for help when they need it.  In the United States we are fortunate enough to have the best emergency location system in the world.    Chris and I realized that and determined to use that system to help locate the lost. 

The GSM carriers use network based location technology to provide a persons location whenever they call 911.  This type of system works, in areas that other systems simply cannot.  In a USA today article an executive with Verizon, which uses GPS to locate during a 911 call said, “But if you’re (calling 911) indoors, we suggest customers get close to the window” to improve GPS performance.  It is really simple physics, the GPS system is based on satellites over 20,000 kilometers in the air.   These satellites must still be able to have line of sight to the device it is trying to locate.  Therefore when you are in a building a wooded area or urban setting those satellites will struggle to provide that location information.  When you are driving or looking for a coffee shop that isn’t a big deal, but when you are trying to save someone’s loved one that just isn’t the system we wanted to trust.  It works just like satellite radio, when you drive under a bridge or into a parking garage, the music stops, GPS is not the way to go in an emergency situation. 

The other part of the equation is who is looking for your loved one when they need to be found.  Every first responder I have ever talked to wants to help.  They are amazing people that serve our communities and have a deep conviction to that service.  They are specially trained too accomplish their job of brining someone in your care home if they are missing.  Emfinders gives them the helping hand they need by providing the location directly into the 911 system.  GPS systems on the other hand often rely on you the caregiver or loved one to open a website and locate them or try to relay that information to authorities.  When a life is quite possibly in the balance, is the internet something we should trust?  The answer is no.  Plus, who has the staff if you are a care community that would have to be trained over and over again in its use.  We wanted a simple system that just requires a phone call. 

At Emfinders, we had three more rescues this weekend.  The system is reliable and robust, and runs on a system that handles over 60 million emergency locates every year.  It is why as founders, Chris and I used it instead of going the easy way and GPS. It is a solution we trust, and so should you.

Emfinders - Locate the Lost - I Don't Think I Need It Now

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When I travel and speak at shows or do interviews to talk about the Emfinders story, solution and customers, I often hear those words.  Often if may be phrased differently such as, well dad hasn’t gotten lost in a while so I don’t think he will, or “mom, hasn’t gotten lost yet”.  These are common among caregivers or adult children dealing with a parent or loved one with Alzheimer’s or dementia.  When you think about it, it is a natural reaction to still think of our loved ones as they were ten or twenty years ago.  Its much like when you see a child for the first time in years versus seeing them every day.  When you see the change slowly occurring you probably won’t notice the difference in behavior, whereas if you see the changes as snapshots it may be quite a bit different. 

With over 10 million individuals in the United States alone that deal daily with either Alzheimer’s, autism, Down’s syndrome, or some other affliction that could lead them to wander my question is why would you ever wait.  Chris Buehler and I developed EmFinders to help these people when they need it most.  Sixty percent of all Alzheimer’s patients will (not may) wander at some point.  Children and adults with autism or Down’s syndrome will (not may) become confused and run from their parents or caregivers.  EmFinders wants to protect our most vulnerable citizens and provide piece of mind to caregivers, and parents.

Why is it important?  Think of it this way, if we save the life of a 10 year old boy with autism, 20 years from now he may find the cure for Alzheimer’s.  You never know what the future holds.  The affect we all have in that boy’s life may be the one that can change the future in a huge way.  Why, knowing that, would anyone risk a loved ones life because they don’t think it will happen?  The EmFinders, EmSeeQ is an affordable emergency locater service that has saved lives already.  The solution is more reliable than GPS and has an advantage over proximity RF, because of the great cellular coverage throughout the country. 

The bottom line is when you need it have it, don’t wait until you need it to want it.  There are too many stories of loved ones lost because of denial, face the fears head on and accept it; we will all work to relieve you of one worry by locating the lost.