The objectives we wanted to achieve by implementing the project were; - Improving the knowledge and skills of search and rescue and emergency personnel in missing persons cases of people with Alzheimer's disease and dementia, - Ensuring that the skills acquired are measurable and evaluable, - Developping an emergency procedure for their families, caregivers and support network to follow when faced with this situation, - To prepare a policy recommendation document for the authorities, including measures to ensure safe living for people with Alzheimer's and dementia and disaster management practices that include these individuals.
One of the fields of duty of search and rescue personnel working in disasters and emergencies is the search for missing persons. Many different types of missing persons cases occur due to different reasons such as disasters, adverse weather conditions, health problems and each case requires alternative search methods. In the search for missing persons, they should be prepared for different scenarios and should be able to develop strategies specific to each missing person case. People with Alzheimer's/dementia, who are among the vulnerable groups and have special needs, are adversely affected by their physical and mental abilities and forgetfulness occurs as their disease progresses. This leads to cases of getting lost. A better knowledge of Alzheimer's/dementia and the characteristics of people with this disease by search and rescue and first responders will help to develop special search and rescue strategies. The project was applied to complete this missing aspect in the vocational training curriculum of search and rescue and first responders.