Search crews find missing 88-year-old Charlotte woman with dementia

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Search crews found a missing 88-year-old Charlotte woman Monday morning after officials said she disappeared late Sunday night.

Charlotte Fire said Geneva Nance suffers from dementia and has been reported lost four times in the last three years.

Nance was last seen around 9 p.m. Sunday and search crews spent several hours combing the area around Victoria Avenue in north Charlotte.

She was found more than 10 hours later about a block from her home, and her son said she had a bump on the back of her head. He said she was wearing a MedicAlert bracelet with the word "dementia" and his phone number on it.

Authorities said Nance was taken to the hospital to get checked out.

"It's a dangerous one, but it's even scarier for those family members," said Redia Baxter with the Alzheimer's Association.

Baxter said six in 10 people living with dementia will wander from their homes and that it's critical they are found within 24 hours. She said the holidays can be a trigger because of all the lights and decorations.

"For example, they can have activities that are planned for that loved one with Alzheimer's or dementia to try and prevent that (wondering). Also making sure that folks are in a locked area, so making sure door locks and those pieces are out of reach with that individual," said Baxter.

According to Baxter, families should create a "care team" of loved ones and invest in technology like MedicAlert or Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's free Project Lifesaver Program.

The Alzheimer's Association said 170,000 people are living with Alzheimer's or dementia in North Carolina.

If someone is taking care of a loved one living with this disease, help is out there. The Alzheimer's Association has a 24-hour hotline with resources, information and referrals. Their number is 1-800-272-3900.

Cox Media Group