Alzheimer's Initiatives
IACP's Alzheimer’s Initiatives is committed to helping first responders improve their knowledge and skills to enhance their response to community members living with Alzheimer's Disease.
An estimated 5.9 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease. Of those, 3.3 million (60%) tend to wander away from safety. With projections showing that by the year 2050 as many as 16 million Americans will be living with Alzheimer's disease, the number of wandering individuals is expected to rise. In order to keep this population safe, first responders need to have the knowledge and tools at their disposal.
Resources
The 10 Warning Signs a Driver May Have Alzheimer's Disease or Dementia pocket card provides law enforcement with ten basic warning signs a driver may have Alzheimer’s disease or dementia and ten steps ensuring positive interactions.
The Did You Know postcard provides law enforcement with quick reference points on the Dos and Don’ts of effectively interacting with an individual with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
The Evaluative Questions to Ask Caregivers pocket card lists important questions to ask caregivers when beginning a search for at risk adults.
The Guide to Voluntary Registry Systems is a guide to local voluntary registry systems which enable agencies to have more awareness of vulnerable individuals in their communities.
The IACP Model Policy provides guidance for the response and investigation of missing persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/D).
The Identifying and Evaluating the At-Risk Older Adult evaluation card contains assessment questions to help law enforcement identify and evaluate an at-risk adult’s orientation and memory. This resource also provides recommendations law enforcement can provide regarding driving for individuals who are exhibiting impaired orientation and memory.
The Identifying and Helping a Driver with Alzheimer’s Disease or Dementia brochure provides law enforcement and motorist assist workers with the warning signs a driver may have Alzheimer’s disease or dementia and includes information about what to do when interacting with an individual who may have Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
The MedicAlert Access informational flyer provides information on MedicAlert services to assist law enforcement searching for lost individuals.
The Senior Drivers: Did You Know? postcard informs law enforcement of the signs of unsafe driving and provides them with steps that can be taken when interacting with a senior driver who is exhibiting unsafe driving.
Roll-Call Training Videos
Roll-Call Training Videos
The IACP’s Alzheimer’s Initiatives training program has developed four short training videos that discuss various situations law enforcement and first responders may encounter a person with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
Download the Companion Discussion Guide
Available Videos
- Driver Assessment (traffic stop) – Learn to recognize signs of impaired driving due to Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. (5:35) (Dennis, MA)
- Missing Person (on foot) – Techniques for interviewing caregivers and search and rescue when someone with dementia goes missing on foot. (6:22) (Montgomery County, MD)
- Missing Person (by car) – Techniques for interviewing caregivers and search and rescue when someone with dementia goes missing by car. (7:24) (Vail, CO)
- Overview of Search Protocol – Extensive overview of search protocol for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. (8:48) (Houston, TX)
Follow the below steps to gain access to the videos:
- Go to https://learn.theiacp.org
- Click log-in on the left hand side (blue box)
- Create an account
- On the left-hand side, below the three grey boxes (All Categories, All Types, 3 Selected) type Alzheimer’s into the search bar. Click Find
- Click on the “Alzheimer’s Initiatives Program Roll-Call Training Videos”
- Click yellow “Register (Free!)” button on upper right side
- Click Register and enter information.
- Click View Cart
- Click Submit
- Click the link that takes you back to the videos page and now you can watch them
The videos will continue to be available to you in your Dashboard!
Webinars
Responding to Alzheimer’s Disease: The 3 stages of Alzheimer’s Disease – from the perspective of trainer Deborah Thompson (8:56) (Dennis, MA)
Responding to Alzheimer’s Disease: Situations in which Law Enforcement/First Responders Might Encounter People With Alzheimer’s Disease – from the perspective of trainer Tim Sutton (24:40) (Richmond, VA)
Helpful Links
Organizations
- ADvancing States
- Alzheimer's Association
- The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America
- Alzheimers.gov
- American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
- Bureau of Justice Assistance
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
- National Institute of Health (NIH)
- National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Programs
Resources
Contact Information
For more information, please contact us at [email protected]
 | This project is supported by Cooperative Agreement No. 2019-NT-BX-K002 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions contained herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. References to specific agencies, companies, products, or services should not be considered an endorsement by the author(s) or the U.S. Department of Justice. Rather, the references are illustrations to supplement discussion of the issues. |
