Gardai and HSE announce new protocol to help find people with dementia who go missing
Gardai and the HSE have announced a new protocol to help families find loved ones living with dementia who go missing.The Herbert Protocol, which is used in the UK, helps official bodies like An Garda Siochana to step in early and lower the risks when a person with dementia goes missing. It eliminates the need for gardai to conduct lengthy interviews during the critical first hour of a search, allowing them deploy resources immediately to the locations where the person is most likely to be found.It is a form that holds important information about a person who has dementia, including a description of what they look like, a recent photo, any medicine they take, important phone numbers to call, and places from their past where they find comfort and familiarity. If a person goes missing, the pre-filled form is handed over to gardai so the search can begin quickly.The support for the Herbert Protocol was announced at the International Dementia Conference in the Athlone Springs Hotel earlier today. It was named after George Herbert, a war veteran from the Normandy landings who lived with dementia, and was created when his local police force realised they needed a new way to help families.Assistant Commissioner Roads Policing & Community Engagement, Catharina Gunne said: "An Garda Síochána works continuously with our partners to preserve and improve the safety of all members of our society. Our work with The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, AGE Friendly Ireland, the HSE and other stakeholders has led to the adoption and support of the Herbert Protocol in An Garda Síochána, to ensure we meet the needs of the community and keep people safe."The Herbert Protocol has proven to be a very useful mechanism for sharing vital information in the early stages of an incident where a vulnerable person goes missing, and it is the hope of An Garda Síochána that the use of the Herbert Protocol in Ireland will provide some relief to families and carers at a very stressful and worrying time, resulting in swift, successful conclusions to incidents of missing loved ones.”Paul Maloney, National Dementia Services, HSE said: "Dementia affects the individual, and the entire family unit. Worrying about a loved one wandering is incredibly stressful for families."To help, we are using the Herbert Protocol, and it is fantastic to see An Garda Síochána embracing the use of this tool. It is a simple, proactive tool that helps families prepare key information. It ensures that if a loved one has gone missing, Gardaí have everything they need to start searching immediately, helping to keep vulnerable people safe while supporting their independence”Kim Tully, CEO of Engaging Dementia said: "Engaging Dementia is delighted to see the Herbert Protocol receive support from the Gardaí and the HSE. This protocol, and dignity to the person suffering from dementia, ensures that if a person becomes disoriented, their history and habits are already known to those who are searching for them. It is about preparedness, not panic."Want to see more of the stories you love from Dublin Live? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Dublin Live as a preferred source, simply click here.Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content.We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice
