Wandering Safety in Montgomery County: A Caregiver Plan and Local Police Resources

If someone you care for may wander because of dementia, autism, or another cognitive or developmental condition, prepare before the first emergency. Montgomery County Police offers a local outreach program, caregiver safety materials, and direct contacts; the county’s clearest emergency instruction is to call 911 immediately when a person is missing.

I put the most useful steps below in one place so a Montgomery County caregiver can make a plan today, not while trying to remember details during a frightening search.

Start with Montgomery County’s wandering-safety program

The Montgomery County Police Autism/IDD, Alzheimer’s and Dementia Outreach Program works with people who have autism, intellectual or developmental disabilities, Alzheimer’s disease, or dementia and with the people who support them. The current county page describes education for officers and families, follow-up after relevant calls for service, wandering-prevention resources, and an MCPD safety kit for caregivers.

For questions about the program or its current resources, call 240-773-6525. The page lists Officer Laurie Reyes at Laurie.Reyes@montgomerycountymd.gov and Officer Tara Bond at Tara.Bond@montgomerycountymd.gov. Ask what is available for your household now, including the wandering-safety kit and any identification or locator options. Older county material discusses Project Lifesaver, but the current page does not publish complete enrollment, eligibility, or cost terms, so I would confirm those details directly before relying on them.

This is a Montgomery County public-safety resource, not an insurance program and not a Forest Brook Financial service. The county’s Health and Human Services safety page also points residents to the outreach unit and repeats the same current phone number.

Build a 911-ready information sheet

The county provides a downloadable wandering 911 script. Fill it out while things are calm and keep a printed copy where more than one caregiver can find it. Store an electronic copy too, but do not make a locked phone the only place it exists.

Your sheet should give a dispatcher and responding officers the facts that help them recognize the person and decide where to search:

• Identification. Current name, age, physical description, communication style, and the condition that affects safety or response.

• Recent images. Keep a clear headshot and full-length photo that can be sent quickly. Replace them when appearance changes.

• What the person is wearing. Note clothing, shoes, coat, glasses, mobility device, identification bracelet, and anything distinctive.

• Likely destinations and hazards. List favorite routes, former homes or workplaces, parks, transit stops, stores, pools, ponds, streams, construction areas, and busy roads nearby.

• Helpful approach. Explain whether the person may hide, avoid eye contact, run, resist touch, use few words, or respond better to a familiar phrase, object, or person.

• Caregiver contacts. Include two working phone numbers when possible and identify who can meet officers or remain at the home.

Review the sheet after a move, medication or behavior change, new favorite destination, or change in appearance. A short, current page is more useful than a thick folder of old information.

Reduce the chance of an unnoticed exit

Montgomery County recommends practical layers rather than one device. Door alarms can alert you when someone leaves, including at night. The county also suggests talking with trusted neighbors, preparing a short 911 script, keeping identification on the person, and storing current photos electronically.

The National Institute on Aging offers similar guidance for families caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease: use identification, consider location technology, keep a recent photo, and use door or window safeguards. Technology can add a layer of protection, but it does not replace attentive care or an emergency call.

• Add an alert. Use a door chime, inexpensive magnetic alarm, or another option the person cannot easily disable. Make sure fire exits remain usable.

• Make identification routine. Choose an ID bracelet, card, or clothing label the person is likely to keep with them, with a reachable contact number.

• Tell a small trusted circle. Give neighbors or nearby family a current photo, your phone number, and a simple request to call 911 if the person appears lost or unsafe.

• Walk the neighborhood with a search map in mind. Mark water, wooded paths, parking areas, transit, and places the person may associate with an earlier part of life.

• Plan for caregiver fatigue. Decide who can take over when the primary caregiver needs sleep, an appointment, or a break.

If the person is missing, call 911 immediately

Do not wait while the family conducts a private search. Montgomery County’s local guidance says to call 911 immediately because delay costs time. Tell the dispatcher that the missing person has dementia, autism, an intellectual or developmental disability, or another condition that may affect safety and communication. Share the last known location, time last seen, clothing, likely destinations, hazards, and whether the person has identification or a locator device.

One adult should stay available at the home or last known location unless officers direct otherwise. Another can send the current photos and information sheet. Follow law-enforcement instructions about searching; an uncoordinated search can pull caregivers away from the phone or duplicate the areas responders are checking.

A 15-minute caregiver setup checklist

• Save 240-773-6525 and the county outreach page in your phone.

• Download and complete the county’s wandering 911 script.

• Take one clear headshot and one full-length photo today.

• Write down likely destinations, nearby water, transit, and other hazards.

• Test the door alert and check that identification is current.

• Give a copy of the plan to at least one backup caregiver.

For related local planning, I have also written guides to the Montgomery County File of Life, respite-care options for family caregivers, and fall-prevention resources in Montgomery County. Each covers a different part of keeping someone safer at home.

The next step

Use the checklist now and put the completed 911 sheet where every caregiver can reach it. A plan made in a calm fifteen minutes can spare you from rebuilding essential details during an emergency.