Keeping our clients ‘safe and found’

Across Australia, one person is reported missing every 18 minutes, with six out of 10 people living with dementia wandering at least once.

In a bid to safeguard our more vulnerable clients who are still living in the community, Juniper will now be implementing the award-winning Safe & Found initiative as part of the onboarding process for our Home and Community Care Services.

A partnership between the WA Police Force and Australian Medic Alert Foundation, the Safe & Found initiative is designed to support people living with dementia, autism or a cognitive impairment who may be at risk of being lost or reported missing by providing Police with immediate access to critical information needed during a search operation.

As a Safe & Found member, Juniper clients will provide a recent photo of themselves and will also be asked to complete a detailed profile that outlines their personal history and characteristics.

Their profile is then stored securely on the Safe & Found secure database, which Police can access immediately in the event they go missing.

Members are also provided with a Safe & Found ID bracelet, which is engraved with their contact details and their emergency contact, which can help identify who they are and return them to safety if they appear lost or disorientated in public.

For eligible clients, the fees associated with being a Safe & Found member can be covered by funding in their Home Care Package.

Juniper Home Care and Retirement Living Director Angie Slater said partnering with Safe & Found provided some ‘peace of mind’ for family members of Juniper’s older and more vulnerable clients who are at risk of being lost.

“Not only are initiatives like Safe & Found reassuring for the person’s family members, carers and loved ones, but it also provides more opportunity for our clients to live independently in their own home for longer,” Angie said.

Safe & Found operates across Perth and country WA, even in more remote areas.

This is reassuring for Juniper staff, residents, clients as their family, as Juniper has eight regional locations across WA, stretching from as far north as the Kimberley to down south in Albany.

For more information about Safe & Found click here.

To speak to someone from our Home and Community Care team, call 1300 313 000 or email homecare@juniper.org.au.