Missing right now? Start looking close by. Call 911 if they are not found within 15 minutes.

Search the area around you first. Many people who wander are found within 1.5 miles of where they went missing. Source: Alzheimer's Association
If the person is not found within 15 minutes, call 911 to file a missing person report. Tell them the person has dementia. Source: Alzheimer's Association
If the person is hurt or in danger, call 911 now.

This page cannot see or answer an emergency.

If they get lost

What to do when a person with memory loss is missing, what to set up before it happens, and a card for their wallet.

This explains; your clinician decides. General guidance, not a care plan for one person.
Every step names its source. The sources are listed at the bottom.
Nothing leaves this phone. The card is made on this page and printed. Nothing you type is saved or sent; close the page and it is gone.

Start looking right away. Source: Alzheimer's Association
Look nearby first. Many people who wander are found within 1.5 miles of where they went missing. Source: Alzheimer's Association
Think about which hand they use. Wandering often follows the direction of the dominant hand. Source: Alzheimer's Association
Check ponds, tree lines and fence lines. Many people are found in brush or brier. Source: Alzheimer's Association
Check places they have wandered to before. Source: Alzheimer's Association
Not found within 15 minutes: call 911. File a missing person report and say the person has dementia. Source: Alzheimer's Association

Wandering can happen at any stage of dementia, and many people do it more than once. Source: Alzheimer's Association

Make sure they carry an ID with their name and address and your phone number. If they might take off a bracelet, label their clothes with a name and phone number. Source: NIA The card below is one way to start.
Keep a recent, close-up photo to give to the police. Source: Alzheimer's Association Source: NIA
Write a list of places they might go: past jobs, former homes, a place of worship, a favorite restaurant. Source: Alzheimer's Association
Tell neighbors and the local police that the person tends to wander, and ask neighbors to call you if they see them out alone. Source: NIA Source: Alzheimer's Association
Know the dangerous spots nearby: water, open stairwells, dense brush, bus stops, busy roads. Source: Alzheimer's Association
Watch for signs: coming back from a walk or drive later than usual, talking about going to work, wanting to "go home" while at home, pacing. Source: Alzheimer's Association
Keep keys, coats, shoes and bags out of sight. If they no longer drive, put the car keys away. Source: NIA Source: Alzheimer's Association
Never lock a person in at home, and never leave them alone in a car. Source: Alzheimer's Association

Fill in what you want on it, then print it and cut it out. Everything stays on this page. Nothing is saved or sent.

I have memory loss. I may be confused.

Please stay with me and call:

(name and phone)

If I am hurt or in danger, call 911.