Gene Saunders: Locating Patients with Cognitive Impairment

According to a report, as many as 56,000 missing adults cases are still pending in the FBI’s National Crime Information Center system. The Congressional Research Service believes people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s are at a higher risk as they might get confused and lose track of their location. That’s not all; at least one of every six people living with Alzheimer’s goes missing at some point.

A study conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information points out that navigational difficulties can be a sign of cognitive impairment because dementia damages the hippocampus, the part of our brain that is responsible for creating new memories, specifically about location and time.

So, Mr. Gene Saunders, the CEO, and founder of Project Lifesaver founded the non-profit organization in 1999, specializing in radio-tracking and locating individuals with cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Autism who are prone to life-threatening behavior of wandering. The importance of this project was determined through the correlation between cognitive conditions and acts of wandering. Since the inception of the program, it has seen a dramatic rise in cognitive disorders, which helped Project Lifesaver to grow from a localized program to a program that is internationally recognized for its proven and effective methods of ‘bringing loved ones home.’

The Man Behind the Mission

After Graduating from Norview High School in Norfolk, Virginia, Gene Saunders entered the U.S army for active duty. After leaving the army, he worked for several companies, including Virginia Power, Credit Manager, and Desk Clerk. In 1968, he joined the Chesapeake Virginia Police Department. Having served in all areas of the Police Department, including forming a SWAT team and serving as commander for 23 years, Gene retired from the police force in 2001 as a captain.

While with the SWAT team, Gene Saunders and his colleagues started to conduct multiple search operations for people with cognitive disorders, but they were not as successful as they wanted to be. These search operations took vast amounts of time and human resources, but they had little knowledge about the proper search techniques.

So, Gene Saunders always looked for something that could enable the police department to move faster in order to locate the missing person before the tragedy overtook them and to reduce the amount of workforce needed for such searches.

Saving Lives

Gene Saunders founded Project Lifesaver, a non-profit 501c3 organization, in 1999, specializing in radio-tracking and locating people with cognitive disorders including Alzheimer’s, Autism, and others. The non-profit organization helps agencies by finding individuals through the signal emitting from a wrist transmitter being tracked by an equipped, trained search team.

The project is run at the municipality level by various public safety agencies. When any of these agencies decide to implement the program, the non-profit organization equips them with the necessary technologies and training.

Project Lifesaver relies on its proven radio technology and specifically trained search and rescue teams to find people with cognitive disorders. People, who register in Project Lifesaver, wear a small transmitter device on their wrist or ankle, which emits a signal, and can be tracked. In case an enrolled person gets missing, the respective caregiver notifies their nearest Project Lifesaver agency, and a trained team of rescuers then use the client’s individualized frequency to locate the position of the individual.

Tackling Challenges

Gene feels supply issues and getting good employees are two of the biggest challenges for him. He believes that planning and moving with the flow helps in the supply issues to a great extent. Gene also suggests recruiting people with the same mindset is essential to help people with cognitive disorders.

Advice for Budding Entrepreneurs

Gene says: If you have an idea, move on it. Do not let others discourage you! Understand obstacles and make your mind to overcome them. Never Quit!”