Bureau Of Justice Assistance Grant Program Helps Protect Wandering Alzheimer’s Patients

Over the last five years, Project Lifesaver International has expanded its program to new territories across the United States. The expansion was possible thanks to a Federal grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) under the Missing Alzheimer’s Patient Assistance program. This grant has helped fund over 205 Project Lifesaver public safety agencies since 2010. In 2014, 33 agencies received funding through the BJA grant.

“We are truly grateful for our partnership with the BJA. Over the past five years the Missing Alzheimer’s Patient Assistance program has given public safety agencies the opportunity to establish or expand a special needs protection program,” noted Gene Saunders, the CEO and Founder of PLI.

Through the BJA grants, many public safety agencies have been capable of providing support and protection to the caregivers and families of those suffering with Alzheimer’s or dementia who are prone to the life threatening behavior of wandering.

For the past 16 years, Project Lifesaver has grown in membership to almost 1,400 public safety agencies with close to 50,000 special needs patients under protection across the North America. In February and March 2015, there were 3 rescues by Project Lifesaver member agencies that started their program with funding based on a BJA Grant.

Project Lifesaver is the most effective and widely used program in the nation specially designed to assist “At Risk” populations existing in our communities. It has prepared and trained thousands of public safety agencies to utilize electronic locating equipment, to communicate with someone with Alzheimer’s disease, Autism or any other related cognitive disorder, search for them and to rescue them if necessary.

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