Operation Golden Retrieval , (also known as "OGR") is a program designed for persons with Alzheimer's or other cognitive brain disorders. The program is free of charge. It costs you nothing but a few minutes to fill out the packet. This is an extremely important aspect to this program. It doesn't cost the family a penny.

A family fills out a "memory kit" on their loved one and the memory kit is kept in their residence, and a copy is kept on file in our facility's secured database. The memory kit contains the important information, such as their name, height, weight, eye color, hair color, and other identifiers such as scars, or medical bracelets they may be wearing. The kit also includes a recent photograph of the person. No sensitive information such as social security numbers or account numbers are kept in the memory kit. It simply contains information on what the person looks like and also goes into their history. The history portion lists places where they have lived and worked in the past. As a person with Alzheimer's progresses into the stages of the Alzheimer's disease, they will sometimes visit places where they used to live or work.

In the event a loved one wanders off, the caregiver simply calls 911. When an emergency responder arrives on scene (such as a police officer, a rescue department responder, or fire department responder) the caregiver gives the memory kit to them. The emergency responder is then able to brief everyone who has initially arrived on scene and show everyone the picture. Emergency responders are then able to start quickly searching the area with accurate information.

The information they have is accurate because the information was obtained in a calm and relaxed environment at an OGR sign up. When an emergency occurs, adrenaline starts pumping and people may not be able to think clearly. With the information all ready written down, there is no confusion. The only questions that need to be asked are "what were they wearing, when were they last seen and what direction were they last seen heading, and have they taken any of their important medication." When it comes time to review a person's history, the information is there. If it weren't all ready written down, a caregiver could possibly over look an important piece of information during the investigative process.

The memory kit can also mean a faster activation of a "Golden Alert." A Golden Alert is similar to an Amber Alert. With the information all ready written down and prepackaged, the information can be quickly relayed to media outlets to inform the public of a missing person with Alzheimer's. When this happens, we now have the whole community involved with the search. The more eyes and ears looking for your loved one the better.

What does the memory kit include? The memory kit includes the following: Envelope, magnetic clip, forms, and recent photograph (we can take the picture for free).

The Golden envelope has "Operation Golden Retrieval" written on it with emergency contact numbers, such as 911, Bowling Green Police, Warren County Sheriff's Office, Kentucky State Police, and the Warren County Rescue Dept.

The magnetic clip is designed so you can stick the clip to your refrigerator door and it can hold the envelope. This is the method we recommend because it is in a common place and we have found that family's normally keep their loved one's doctor appointments clipped to the fridge door or reminders to take their medications. You can keep the envelope anywhere you want. If you lose it, don't worry. We maintain a copy in our secured, heavily encrypted database.

If you are interested in the Operation Golden Retrieval program, call us today to find out when we are conducting an OGR sign-up. We are scheduling OGR sign-ups in the communities so family's do not have to travel very far. We will schedule sign-ups at your local community centers or volunteer fire departments. We try to make it as easy as possible to sign up. If you missed a sign-up, don't worry! You can schedule an appointment.