Mattie's Call becomes useful technique throughout Georgia

<p>Kathy Simpson believes all disabled adults shouldn't be hard to find since a new system in place.</p><p>Simpson, whose mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1999, became her caregiver. But she always had to deal with her mother wandering away.</p><p>On occasion, Lee Simpson would stray from her home. Once she was found in a neighbor's car across the street. During a rainstorm, her mother was found inside a nearby card store after being left in the car when Kathy Simpson went into a grocery store for some bread.</p><p>Situations similar to the Simpson's have been the usual in Georgia. The 54-year-old Kathy Simpson grew accustomed to her mother's behavior, but had mighty concern.</p><p>"Thing that concerned me most, I learned as a caregiver is that she could be manipulative and that she could hide her dementia," said Kathy Simpson. "The most stressful thing as a caregiver was my mother hurting herself or her getting out and me not being able to find her."</p><p>Now, there's a bill that should prohibit fears like Kathy Simpson's from becoming true throughout the state.</p><p>A statewide alert system for disabled adults who go missing was approved by the Georgia's House of Representatives earlier this month. The state Senate must still act on the measure.</p><p>The case of Mattie Moore, a 68-year-old Alzheimer's patient who wandered away from her Atlanta home in April 2004 and then her body was found eight months later, inspired the "Mattie's Call" bill.</p><p>The city of Atlanta implemented the alert system in 2004. Since then, officials said 11 calls have been successful in finding the missing person alive.</p><p>"Having a seamless operation with the county and cities on board makes it that much better," Kathy Simpson said.</p><p>Last Tuesday, Cobb County officials made its area the first to adopt a countywide alert system for missing residents with Alzheimer's or other dementia-related diseases.</p><p>Police are creating protocol to post messages on electronic bulletin boards and notify communities and the media of the missing person, Cobb Public Safety director Mickey Lloyd said.</p><p>Rep. Bobby Franklin, R-Marietta, said Georgia Lottery station outlets would serve either local, regional or statewide network alerting residents that elderly person is missing in their area.</p><p>"If we can start the search immediately, then hopefully we can save some lives," Franklin said.</p><p>Alice Hoffman, coordinator of the state association's Safe Return program, said three people with Alzheimer's are currently missing in Georgia. But she believes the new program will work.</p><p>"This is giving families a sense of hope," Hoffman said. "Satisfaction and trust in their county because they are setting a precedent to get this alert program started."</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x1cdc698)</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2006/2/129924