Professional Carers
Professional Carer’s of People ‘At
Risk’
Many people have problems that can leave
them vulnerable as they move about within their
community. The dilemmas and concerns faced by the
professional and family carers and ‘at risk’ people are
illustrated in a series of case studies
on this site. A primary
goal of the Safe Return Home system is to significantly improve
the outcome of cases like these and
to reduce professional and family carer stress in the event of a missing person episode.
Paid staff and professional workers can make
certain that all the relevant details on a person ‘at risk’ are
recorded on the Safe Return Home system. In the unfortunate
event of a missing person episode, all identification details are
immediately available for Police to use for search, broadcast and
identification purposes–there will be no panic attempting to
organise these details at the time of the incident. To further
assist, an on-person identification Medical ID Product
can be purchased to provide additional security.
The public website will also list the
details of the missing person if approved by the carer and this
information can be viewed by Transport Services (train; bus; tram;
taxi) and other entities such as Shopping Centre management.
Any organisation or service providing
support to people that may have memory loss or disorientation may benefit from their ‘at
risk’ clients being included on the Safe Return Home system. Wandering
problems are not restricted to a
particular service type or one age group or even to a
single disability or medical condition. For example, 'at risk' people supported
in the following arrangements may benefit from Safe Return Home:
-
Residential Services
-
Aged Care Facilities (hostels; nursing homes; dementia-specific)
-
Group Home Arrangements (eg: disability services)
-
Psychogeriatric Nursing Homes and Hostels
-
Facility-based Respite Services
-
Supported Residential Services
-
Retirement Villages
-
Boarding Houses / Special Accommodation
-
Private Apartment Services
-
In-Home Community Support Services
-
Community Aged Care Packages Programs (CACPs)
-
Community Options Programs (COPs)
-
In-Home Respite Services
-
Local Government HACC Services (eg: home
help and respite care)
-
Nursing Agencies (eg. RDNS)
-
Private Home Care Services
-
Assessment Services
-
Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACAT)
-
Psychogeriatric Assessment Services
-
Day Care Services
-
General Day Care Programs
-
Dementia Specific Day Care
‘At Risk’ People who may be assisted by Safe Return Home
Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias
Some individuals experience agitation and/or
restlessness and feel the need to keep moving to alleviate this
feeling. Frequently, the individual has some goal in mind. For
instance, they may wish to revisit the memories, visit previous
accommodation or wish to gain a sense of security they felt at their
old home or place of work. People with Alzheimer’s disease and other
dementia are at risk of wandering and perhaps becoming lost in their surroundings.
Adults and Children with an Intellectual Disability
Individuals who experience difficulties
with daily living activities in areas that include:
-
expressing and understanding language
-
ability to
acquire the skills necessary to recognize familiar surroundings
-
ability to acquire or use the
skills necessary to travel independently in the community.
Role of Police in using the System
Police personnel are able access the Safe Return Home database if the carer or relative provide the police with the login details of the registrant’s record. Police personnel can then login and view, print or email the relevant information to other Police or relevant parties.The system has a broadcast alert that allows Police to email or fax summary details of the missing person in the case of an emergency.
What Type of Data is Collected?
The registration
forms have been designed to provide Police with the information
required to assist with the location and identification of
individuals reported as missing or who are found wandering and
disorientated in a public area.
To ensure that the information provided by
carers is consistent with the format utilised by Police, a
systematic coding system has been put in place. The data collection
forms have been designed in consultation with Police missing person
sections and the database system was designed after discussions with
a number of Police personnel.
Basic information available for all
individuals on the Safe Return Home system includes a colour
photograph, detailed description of person, contact details of carer
and other listed contact persons.