If She Is Gone
Before You Enroll Mom in a Missing-Person Registry, Check Who Can Edit Her File
A registry only helps when its file is current, so check who holds the login, how the photo gets updated, and how the record closes.
Some local police departments and private programs keep a record of a person with memory loss, so the details are ready if a report is ever made. A registry does not find anyone by itself. It stores information so a responder does not have to start from nothing. Before you sign, be clear about what the program does and what it does not.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
Ask what happens once a report is made
Ask each program what it does with the file after someone calls it in, and who reads it. Ask whether the file goes straight to local police or whether a staff member reviews it first. The answer tells you how quickly the details would reach the people searching.
Read what the form asks for
Ask to see a blank or sample form. Look for the basics you would want in the first hour: a recent photo, height and build, the clothes she usually wears, the places she is known to go, and how she speaks. Notice whether the form asks for information you do not have, or for details that are private to Mom. You can leave a blank where the answer is not known.
Ask who can change the file
Most of the value is in keeping the file current. Ask who holds the login, whether more than one person can edit it, and how a changed photo gets in. A photo that no longer looks like her is less useful than one taken more recently. Ask whether the program will confirm the record from time to time.
Ask how contact details get updated
If the family's phone number changes, the file must change with it. Ask how contact details are updated and whether the program has any way to remind you to review them. If it does not, set a calendar reminder for yourself to log in and check the file on a fixed schedule.
Ask how the record is closed
Ask how you would remove or close the record if Mom moves into residential care or if the family stops using the service. Ask whether the program keeps an old copy and for how long. Get those answers in writing before you enroll.
Keep a paper copy at home
Whatever the program keeps, print a copy with the same details and keep it in the house where a visitor can find it quickly. Paper is what you will want if the internet is slow or the login has been forgotten. The first steps if she is gone are on the Start Here page.