Jax Ready REVAMP Registry is helping the community locate missing persons with cognitive decline

Are you a caregiver of a loved one with dementia? You need to know about the REVAMP registry created by the City of Jacksonville Emergency Preparedness Division.

REVAMP, which stands for Registry for Endangered, Vulnerable, and Missing Persons, was created to aid first responders in locating missing persons in Duval County. We had the pleasure of interviewing Shannon Nelson and Halle Mitchell from the City of Jacksonville for an episode of Elder Law Hour.

According to Shannon, the Emergency Preparedness Supervisor, "There are more escalated incidents than I think the community is aware of. There can be upwards of two to three missing persons a day with cognitive issues. But they don't always escalate to needing a news release or an alert on your phone because they are brought safely home."

The city created this registry to battle the rise in cases of missing persons due to the general rise of poeple in our population over the age of 65.

Who can register for REVAMP?

According to Jax Ready, there are many who may qualify to be added to the registry. Today, we're focusing on those with dementia, cognitive decline, memory impairment, or sensory disabilities. These individuals are particularly at risk for wandering off and require assistance from emergency responders to be returned safely home.

What Information goes on the registry?

Jax Ready encourages caregivers to be very detailed when giving information including:

• The name, age, address, and description of the person
• The name, address, contact information of the individual entering the data and any other support person who might be able to assist the person being registered
• Disabilities or critical medical conditions the person may have
• Behaviors that may be exhibited by the person
• The best method for approaching the person
• Any methods of transportation and locations the person frequently visits

In addition to basics like a physical description and contact information, consider sharing details like a recent photo, communication preferences, places they like to go, if they like dogs, oe any other helpful data that might shed light on where this person may go.

Is my information safe?

Yes! Jax Ready protects the information within the registry, and it will only be used in search and rescue services provided for the individuals registered. The registry is restricted for emergency responder access only on a “need-to-know” basis for official search and rescue operations.

How is it used by first responders and law enforcement?

When a person is reported missing, they are immediately searched for in both the REVAMP registry as well as the Special Needs Registry. If this person is in the registry, the information is passed to first responders like law enforcement for example to aid them in the search.

This sounds great! How do I register my loved one?

Go to Jax Ready to start the process. Halle and Shannon are available for questions and can help you get your loved on registered!