Caregiver finds missing Alzheimer's patient

A 72-year-old man who was reported missing Monday was found yesterday standing in front of McDonald's on Fort Street Mall.

Frederico Cabo was located by the same caregiver who had taken him and another patient to St. Francis Medical Center-Liliha at about 5:30 p.m. Monday, said James Vasconcellos, of the Honolulu Police Department's Missing Persons Detail.

The caregiver located Cabo at about 12:30 p.m. yesterday.

"I'm glad he's OK," said Virginia Guillermo, administrator of the Holy Family Care Home. She said it was the first time an Alzheimer's patient had been reported missing from the Kaneohe facility, home to 40 residents. Cabo is among four people there who suffer from Alzheimer's.

Guillermo said the caregiver was bringing a wheelchair-bound patient into the hospital elevator Monday, with Cabo trailing. When the caregiver turned around, Cabo, who was scheduled to have his blood pressure checked, was gone.

Cabo lost his identification bracelet, Guillermo said. Guillermo said she plans to purchase a more secure bracelet for him. She also instructed the caregiver to walk behind Cabo when he is taken outside.

Janet Eli, president and chief executive officer of the Alzheimer's Association-Aloha Chapter, said 1,800 of an estimated 28,000 people in Hawaii who suffer from the disease are registered with the association's Safe Return Program. The identification program was set up nationwide by the U.S. Department of Justice to help locate those with Alzheimer's disease who become lost after wandering, Eli said.

Eli could not say whether Cabo is registered with the association, because of patient confidentiality regulations.

She encouraged residents with family members who suffer from Alzheimer's disease to register them. "The program that we have has a 97 percent safe return rat, versus 46 percent that are not registered," Eli said.