LA County offers free trackable bracelets for people with Alzheimer's disease

Los Angeles County is offering free trackable bracelets for people with autism, Alzheimer's disease or dementia through its L.A. Found program, inspired by one resident's tragic loss.  

Tuesday, October 15 is L.A. Found Day in the county, marking the anniversary of the disappearance of a 56-year-old Manhattan Beach woman with early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

Nancy Paulikas wandered away from her husband, Kirk Moody, and her family during an Oct. 15, 2016 trip to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Moody searched for his wife for two years with friends, family, neighbors, and dozens of volunteers. On December 26, 2018, Paulikas's remains were found ten miles away from where she went missing. 

County Supervisor Janice Hahn partnered with Moody to develop a program to help. The L.A. Found Program provides free trackable bracelets that can be located using receivers carried in Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department helicopters and designated ground units.

"Since we launched the LA Found program, every person who has gone missing with an LA Found bracelet has been found and returned home," Hahn said. "Everyone in LA County who has a loved one autism, Alzheimer's or dementia and are prone to wandering should know that LA Found exists and can help you."

L.A. Found has issued over 1,500 trackable devices to residents since 2018 and has successfully located and reunited dozens of missing individuals with their families or caregivers. 

According to the Alzheimer's Association, 60% of people with dementia will wander at some point while a study by the Interactive Autism Network found that nearly half of children with autism engage in wandering behavior.

To learn more about the LA Found program and apply for a free bracelet, visit https://ad.lacounty.gov/lafound/.