Thames Valley Police supports scheme to help searches for missing people with dementia
Thames Valley Police is supporting a campaign to raise awareness of a scheme to encourage carers and family members of people with dementia to record information that the police can use to help locate them when they go missing.
The When Memory Wanders campaign, which began yesterday (Sunday) and runs until September 30, to coincide with World Alzheimer’s Month, aims to highlight the importance of having vital information easily available to help the emergency services in locating vulnerable people who have gone missing.
The Herbert Protocol is a nationally-recognised tool that contains information about people living with dementia, which can be used by the police and other agencies to help during a search for them if they go missing.
It can include information about previous addresses, favourite places, routines or medical information and recent photographs of the person.
It is named after George Herbert, a war veteran who lived with dementia and went missing multiple times.
Detective chief inspector Simon Hannam from Thames Valley Police’s missing and exploitation team said: "The Herbert Protocol is an incredibly valuable tool which can help us respond more effectively when a person living with dementia is reported missing.
“Having immediate access to accurate information about that person, their history, routines and places that may be significant to them can help officers make informed decisions and direct searches more effectively.
"We would encourage families and carers supporting someone with dementia to consider completing a Herbert Protocol before it is needed.
“Taking time to prepare this information in advance can make a real difference during what can be an extremely stressful and worrying situation."
An example of a case in which the protocol was used involved David, not his real name, a resident in the Thames Valley living with young-onset dementia who was reported missing.
Information contained within his Herbert Protocol record indicated he spoke about returning to Scotland to walk in the forests that he remembered from earlier in his life.
The insight helped officers understand why he may have travelled in a particular direction, and he was subsequently located near Bicester and reunited with his family.
Rob Burley, the chief executive of the MedicAlert Foundation, which is leading the awareness campaign of the Herbert Protocol added: "When panic hits, a carer's mind can understandably go blank.
“Having important information prepared in advance helps ensure that vital details are immediately available when they are needed most.
"We believe everyone living with dementia deserves the protection and reassurance that a Herbert Protocol can provide."