Waynette Trammell, a Greenbelt resident, knows first-hand about the difficulties that come with taking care of someone with a mental disability. “The biggest frustration you have is agitation because the person taking care of the impaired can’t see what’s going on in their mind. You also experience resistance. When they get familiar with their caregiver, they are skilled in trying to get their mission done by any means necessary,” said Trammell.
As a caregiver to her mother who has sundown syndrome (a set of Alzheimer’s-related symptoms), Trammell can recall various moments her behavior drastically changed as soon as the sun went down. “It’s like she’s a different person. She pays no attention to what she’s wearing, the weather outside or who is in front of her. Whatever is on her mind has completely taken over.”
Trammell believes early memories from childhood and adulthood can be the emotional key that jump-starts her imagination. “My mother once walked from Greenbelt to Rhode Island Ave., in northeast D.C. with a cane and footsies on. As a child she used to walk about 13 miles to and from school. She doesn’t feel pain; it’s as if something that caused her fear she never dealt with is brought up as she begins to wander.”
Trammell is not the only caregiver experiencing the hardships that come with caring for someone with a mental disability. Greenbelt has had an increase in wandering citizens who have autism, developmental disabilities, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of cognitive impairment.
In 2018, five people wandered away from their homes between April 6 and September 9. That is five times the number of wandering residents in 2017, according to the Greenbelt Police Department.
Fortunately for Trammell and other Greenbelt residents, the police department, Greenbelt Assistance in Living Program (GAIL) and the city administration have made a combined effort and have established the Critically Missing Person Project (CMP), a system for dealing with people who are potential wanderers. The goal is to provide residents the tools to prevent wandering as well as an effective plan in case mentally impaired residents do run away. Registering for the Greenbelt Alert System allows residents to receive emails, texts alerts and phone calls telling you if a Greenbelt resident is missing, with a picture and detailed information on what they look like in order to bring them home. Caregivers can sign up a person who is mentally impaired by completing a registration form for the Greenbelt Police with basic information about the mentally impaired resident and a photo.
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