Cutbacks hurt LV Alzheimer’s program

Monday, May 13, 2002 | 8:44 a.m.

The Las Vegas chapter of the Alzheimer's Association is seeking contributions in the wake of federal cutbacks to a program that helps return missing sufferers of dementia-related diseases to their homes.

The 9-year-old Safe Return program is a national identification and registration system that has returned more than 6,400 lost or wandering Alzheimer's patients to their families and caregivers nationwide.

A $900,000 annual grant from the Department of Justice for the program has been eliminated.

Myra Davis, executive director of the Alzheimer's Association of Southern Nevada, said there are 32,000 to 33,000 Alzheimer's sufferers in Nevada.

It is estimated that one of every 10 Nevadans over age 65 has Alzheimer's disease and that nearly half of Nevadans older than 85 have the dementia-related ailment.

Alzheimer's officials say that nearly 60 percent of people diagnosed with the disease have a wandering behavior. Yet just 300 Nevadans are registered with Safe Return, officials said.

Safe Return provides sufferers of Alzheimer's with identification bracelets or necklaces and iron-on clothing labels with registration identification numbers. Lost patients can be identified through a 24-hour nationwide database.

Davis said her organization will have to rely solely on personal contributions and local resources.

For more information, call the Alzheimer's Association at 248-2770 or visit the website (www.alzsn.com).