People whose loved ones suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, autism and other conditions have a new resource for locating them if they wander away.

County Supervisor Janice Hahn joined Kirk Moody on Sept. 5 to announce the launch of the L.A. Found initiative. (photo by Henry Salazar)

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on Sept. 5 unveiled “L.A. Found,” a new initiative that will enable law enforcement to track individuals using special bracelets. The county is partnering with Project Lifesaver, which sells the bracelets to family members and caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s and other conditions. When someone wearing one of the bracelets goes missing, law enforcement can use handheld tracking equipment to locate them, and helicopters if an aerial search is required.

“If you have cared for someone with dementia or autism, you know the fear of what might happen if you turn your back for just one minute,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn, 4th District, who spearheaded the program’s implementation. “L.A. Found will not only save lives, it will finally give caregivers some peace of mind. If someone you love goes missing, L.A. County is ready to step in and help find them.”

The board allocated $765,000 to create the program and partner with Project Lifesaver. To qualify for the L.A. Found program, caregivers must schedule a phone interview with the sheriff’s department or the L.A. County Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services Department by visiting lafound.com. After an individual qualifies, family members and caregivers will be allowed to purchase and register a bracelet with the sheriff’s department.

The bracelets cost $325, plus shipping and handling, and leasing is available through Project Lifesaver. Free bracelets are available for low-income individuals, but there is a waiting list. For information, call (833)569-7651 or email lafound@wdacs.lacounty.gov to be placed on the waiting list.

There are an estimated 177,000 people with Alzheimer’s disease in Los Angeles County.

Hahn said people with Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions are susceptible to wandering, and they sometimes disappear in a very short period of time.

Police and family members hope someone will provide information that will locate Nancy Paulikas, who went missing in October 2016. (photo courtesy of Kirk Moody)

That is what happened to Kirk Moody’s wife Nancy Paulikas, who suffers from Alzheimer’s and wandered away from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Oct. 15, 2016, after she and Moody went into restrooms on different floors. Paulikas, 57, is still missing.

“I believe it is highly likely that if this program had been available two years ago, Nancy would have been wearing a bracelet and she would have been found in a matter of hours,” Moody said.

Moody reported his wife’s disappearance shortly after he discovered her missing, and police searched the surrounding neighborhood. Security camera footage showed Paulikas walking west on Wilshire Boulevard toward McCarthy Vista/Crescent Heights Boulevard shortly after being separated from her family.

After hearing about Paulikas’ disappearance, Hahn met with Moody to discuss ways the prevent similar occurrences. The county formed a task force to examine existing methods, which led to the creation of the L.A. Found program.

Moody said the search for his wife continues and he is optimistic she will be found alive. Police in Manhattan Beach, where the couple live, are leading the search. Moody and law enforcement authorities are in frequent contact with the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office and coroner’s offices in other parts of the state, but no decedents matching Paulikas’ description have been identified. The theory is she was taken in by a caregiver or someone else.

Authorities recently obtained a list from the state of all care facilities and other locations where an individual matching Paulikas’ description resides and is receiving Medi-Cal benefits. Moody said approximately half of the locations are private homes. There are approximately 75 locations in the greater Los Angeles area and to the north that need to be checked.

Moody added that he has checked with hundreds of commercially licensed care facilities and assisted living facilities throughout Southern California and is continuing that process to keep the search for his wife at the forefront of people’s minds. He has also contacted other law enforcement agencies including the LAPD, and they are checking records to see if any calls came in around the time of Paulikas’ disappearance that could yield clues. A $30,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to Paulikas’ whereabouts.

“We are still calling and getting the word out to care facilities,” Moody said. “It’s frustrating because at the care facilities we have already been to, when we call again, three-quarters say they have never heard of the Nancy case.”

Paulikas is white, 5 feet 7 inches tall and 140 pounds with light brown and gray hair. She was last seen wearing a red print shirt, blue jeans and blue sneakers.

Anyone with information about Paulikas’ whereabouts is urged to call the Manhattan Beach Police Department tip line at (310)802-5171, Det. Michael Rosenberger at (310)802-5127, or Moody at (310)650-7965. Information is also available by visiting nancyismissing.blogspot.com.