Risk factors for getting lost:
(1) male gender
(2) history of wandering (inefficient travel with random movements and frequent changes in direction)
(3) being left alone for any length of time
A demented person who is lost will usually not go very far from where last seen. It is unusual for the person to go more than 5 miles. Usually the person will go only 1-2 miles away.
Locations where a missing person can be found:
(1) woods
(2) a ditch or culvert
(3) around a body of water
(4) in an abandoned building
(5) remote, sparsely populated area
Risk factors for the death of a demented person:
(1) drowning
(2) exposure to the elements, especially in the summer or winter
(3) trying to seclude oneself
(4) getting lost in a remote natural or sparsely populated area
(5) injury while wandering, especially at night in the dark
(6) becoming dehydrated
(7) comorbid conditions
A demented person who drives away:
(1) The person almost always is unable to fill the gas tank once empty, so the maximum distance that can be driven is the distance of one gas tank.
(2) The person almost always is unable to troubleshoot a car that stalls or goes into a ditch.
(3) Once stopped the person will usually continue on foot.
Misconceptions:
(1) A demented person who does not wander cannot get lost.
(2) A demented person will respond to searchers calling his/her name.
(3) Suggestions (not based on definite facts) made by family members should take priority over a careful search strategy.
(4) A demented person in a caregiving facility is at low risk for getting lost.
(5) A demented person who has done an activity many times before cannot get lost when doing the activity alone.
(6) Aerial surveillance is useful for locating the person.
(7) The demented person will behave in a predictable manner.
