DELRAY BEACH, FL -- Last night, after hours spent frantically searching, Nillo Raesalmi was reunited with his wife, Alina, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.
"I wasn't lost I don't know what happened. I'm glad very happy very glad very happy," said Alina and Nillo Raesalmi.
It was a happy ending to a story that can end in tears as it did after an Alzheimer's patient died earlier this month after being struck by a vehicle.
Seniors suffering from Alzheimer’s can end up wandering lost, alone, and confused... and ultimately fall victim to a world moving too swiftly to notice them.
"A minute may mean death in some cases. We need to try and find these people as soon as we can," said Laura Panizza, the director of adult day-care for the Mae Volen Senior Center.
In partnership with the Delray Beach Police, her organization is starting something new to help keep seniors, suffering the ravages of Alzheimer’s, safe.
"We're building a databank of photographs and information," said John Evans, a sergeant with the Delray Beach Police.
It's a resource which would allow the speedy recovery of seniors.
"All of our police cars would have the information in the cars right with them, with the photograph and everything on the laptop computers," said Evans. "I had been thinking about it for a long time, that we need a database to be able to save lives," said Panizza.
Anyone who knows a Delray Beach resident suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia is encouraged to contact the Delray Beach Police Department or the Mae Volen Senior Center to get their picture taken.
