People who provide care to elderly or who know older persons living on their own are encouraged to register these individuals with the Murphy Police Department’s Contacting And Reuniting Elderly (CARE) Alert Program, according to Detective Kyle Kucauskas, administrator of the program.
“CARE Alert gives us an added advantage when we get a call for a missing elderly person. If that person is registered into our database, we will already have critical identifying information that will help speed up the search and recovery effort,” he said.
The program, which is provided at no cost, is designed to assist Murphy Police in searching for elderly individuals who may suffer from dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, are susceptible to diabetic shock, disorientation or other temporary or permanent debilitating condition.
“The MPD wants to take a proactive approach in protecting our elderly citizens. Rather than wait for a caregiver to try to remember important details in a time of crisis, the CARE Alert profile gives us what we need in an instant. It can mean the difference between a quick recovery and uncertain delay,” said Kucauskas.
Caregivers to elderly or relatives of older citizens should complete a registration form online by visiting http://www.murphytx.org/policedepartment/care.asp. Once completed, registrants should print it, attach a current face picture and mail it to CARE Alert Registration Coordinator, Murphy Police Department, 206 North Murphy Road, Murphy, Texas 75094. The registration form is confidential and will be kept in a secured file located in the 24-hour Telecommunications Center.
“Saving seconds in an emergency will always pay dividends, and having critical information at hand when an emergency arises helps us be more effective,” he concluded.
