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It's a nightmare any family caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's knows can easily become reality: one minute that senior adult can be at your side and the next, he or she has wandered off.

Or it happens in the middle of the night when you thought they were sound asleep.

According to the latest statistics from the Alzheimer's Association, 60 percent of Alzheimer's patients will indeed wander away from home or a caregiver and get lost. On Tuesday, the Alzheimer's Association Eastern Tennessee Chapter and Sterling House of Maryville will team up to present a program that can help in these crisis situations.

From 3 to 6 p.m., families can attend a free Safe Return sign-up. Safe Return is a government-funded program that has a national information and photo data base that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It provides a toll-free crisis hot line and works through Alzheimer's Association chapters across the country and also law enforcement and other emergency responders.

Bobby Fields, program coordinator for the Alzheimer's Association, encourages Blount County to take advantage of the free sign-up. He said there is normally a $55 fee for the Alzheimer's patient and another $25 for the caregiver. All of that will be waived at the Tuesday session at Sterling House.

A national data base

Fields explained that Safe Return is a partner with Medic Alert in this service. The senior is given a charm to wear on either a bracelet or necklace. If that person gets lost, information on the back of the charm can help get them back safely.

A call goes in to the Safe Return national center, and immediately local law enforcement is notified when a person goes missing. A photo of the missing person is also sent to the area, and the local Alzheimer's Association chapter is notified.

Fields said he knows of a recent case where a person who was signed up on Safe Return went missing in Virginia. All the proper authorities were notified, and the person was found three hours later. "That was a great success, and we have several of them," Fields said.

If you plan to sign up a loved one for Safe Return at the Tuesday session, there are a few things you will need to bring, said Connie Evans, sales and marketing manager at Sterling House. Name, age and contact are needed, along with a recent photo of the person suffering from Alzheimer's or other dementia. You will also need to provide a list of medications they are taking and what, if any allergies they have.

The Safe Return program has been around for at least 10 years, Fields said. He said it costs an annual fee of $25.

"I think this service is very under utilized," Evans said. "Most people have no idea it exists." She said this free sign-up will hopefully change that.

Doing its part

The sign-ups are free because of the money raised at the recent Foothills Memory Walk. Sterling House is a good example of just how much can be done at the local level to support and educate those affected by Alzheimer's. The assisted living facility in Maryville has raised over $15,000 in the last few years for the Alzheimer's Association.

There is no appointment necessary to attend the free sign-up on Tuesday, but Evans said it would be helpful to call Sterling House at 681-1300 to let them know you are coming. You do not have to bring your loved one to the sign-up.

Fields said Safe Return can provide caregivers with some peace of mind and the necessary tools to locate a missing loved one. He said there are 22,000 individuals in East Tennessee with some form of dementia.

"The vast majority of dementia patients are cared for at home by a family caregiver," he said. "This is one tool to help them."

Those interested in Safe Return can come to Sterling House anytime between 3 and 6 p.m. on Tuesday. The sign up will only take about 15 minutes, Fields said.

Evans said Sterling House works hard every year to provide as much support as possible to the Alzheimer's Association. She said a majority of the residents at Sterling House have some form of dementia. "All of the money raised at the Memory Walk stays in East Tennessee," she said.

The local Memory Walk was held in Octoberm and final numbers aren't in on the total funds raised. Whatever the amount, it will be used for things like this Safe Return sign up, caregiver training and other education programs, Fields said.