HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A new program launched by Harris County Sheriff’s Office aims to help elderly people in dementia who go missing return home safely and quickly.
The Take Me Home program essentially works as a database where families can submit names, ages and pictures of loved ones with dementia. Sgt. Jose Rico Gomez, with the HCSO’s Behavioral Health Division, said beyond that, loved ones can include the type of dementia their family member is facing, a list of past wandering spots and even person-specific de-escalation techniques.
“Having those pointers from the family, letting us know, ‘Hey, this is the best way to approach my father, my mother, my grandparents, whatever have you, and this would be beneficial for you to know,” Gomez said. “This is all about time. The faster you call, the faster we have this information, the more likely it is that we’re going to find them.”
The Take Me Home program just launched earlier this November, so Gomez said his team is still in the application screening process. But he is pleased to see an interest from the community early on.
“We have about 30 applications. We’re still going through them,” Gomez said.
Having the Take Me Home interface as a resource for law enforcement is exciting for Katie Scott, the president of CarePartners, a non-profit which runs a Dementia Day Center in Houston.
“I’m thrilled to see a program like this coming into our community,” Scott said.
Scott gave KHOU 11 News a tour of the Dementia Day Center, and we got a closer look at the important work they do to help stimulate and engage people with dementia. Small group activities are a main focus, with some people painting nails, swatting balloons around and playing cornhole outside.
Scott said understanding the interests, and likes and dislikes, of someone with dementia is key to getting them to feel comfortable – adding that creating a sense of comfort will be essential for the Take Me Home program.
“That individual will feel a lot safer going with that office, and they will be much more open to having a dialogue and responding to the requests of that officer,” Scott said.
Wandering is a major concern for caregivers. Houston resident Mary Bradley said her wife, Jeffery Scoggins, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2021, and the symptoms have only gotten worse. Jeffery once got disoriented while running an errand.
“[She] didn’t come home in a timely fashion and called and was lost in parts of town near us that I’d prefer her not to be lost in,” Bradley said. “She’s very seldom grounded in much reality."
Bradley wants families like hers to take advantage of the Take Me Home program – and others like it – knowing wandering can be dangerous.
“That was a concern, and I think that could be very helpful,” Bradley said.
To register your loved one for the Take Me Home program, go to bit.ly/TakeMeHomeProgram, or you can email TakeMeHome@sheriff.hctx.net.