NORWICH – Tonight, Aug. 20 at 6 p.m. at the United Church of Christ located on West Main Street, in Norwich, the Chenango County Sheriff's Office along with the Chenango County Alzheimer's Caregivers Association will be presenting the Project Lifesaver program to the public, all are invited to attend.

Project Lifesaver is a public safety program used to locate missing persons suffering from disorders that may cause them to wander.

“The program we have was originally for people with Alzheimer's or Dementia, but we are reaching out to families with all types of diseases that may cause a loved one to wander, like Down's Syndrome. We've been trying to get more youth with these disorders involved as well,” said Grant Officer and Deputy Sheri Howe.

More than 5,000,000 people in the USA have Alzheimer's and other related disorders. This number is expected to triple by 2050. Well over 50 percent of these people wander and become lost. Unaware of their situation, people with these disorders sometimes fail to call out for help or fail to respond to help. Nearly half of those who wander will die and many more become injured or fall victim to predators if they are not located within a 24 hour time period.

Educational and community awareness programs have been a cornerstone to Project Lifesaver's success thus far as they try to inform the public about the opportunities the program has to offer.

“Project Lifesaver provides comfort to families without compromising the safety or dignity of their loved one,” said Ernest R. Cutting Jr. Chenango County Sheriff.

The New York State Sheriff's Association introduced the program to Chenango County last year and the program has since been up and running smoothly.

“Three people in the county are enrolled in the program so far, however, one is moving soon,” said Howe.

Fortunately, the Chenango County Sheriff's Office has not had to use the program in an actual situation.