Project Lifesaver: Special Event on Monday, Aug. 15
As the search for a missing 84-year-old Irvington woman with Alzheimer's continues, the ElderServe Safe Center for Seniors will hold a special enrollment day on Monday, Aug. 15 to remind people about Project Lifesaver, a free program which enables seniors who wander to be quickly found and safely returned to their homes.
The program will take place from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Our Place ElderServe, 347 Saw Mill River Road, Yonkers. Participants will be able to speak with professionals about their particular situation.
Project Lifesaver works through bracelets with special batteries that seniors wear on their wrists. Should a senior become lost, specially trained and equipped county police officers can locate him or her by tracking a radio signal the bracelets transmit. Because Betty Iannarelli, the woman from Irvington, was not enrolled in the program she does not have a bracelet.
Mrs. Iannelli disappeared from her Irvington home early Friday morning and searches to locate her have been going on since that time. She is 5 feet tall, weighs about 140 pounds and has black hair. She was last seen wearing a blue terrycloth dress and an ID bracelet with her daughter's telephone number.
ElderServe, which is part of the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, said that since Project Lifesaver began in Westchester County in 2008, 15 wandering seniors have been found.
A limited number of bracelets are still available and qualified participants will receive same-day service while supplies last. To be eligible, a person must live in Westchester County, be dependent upon the person they live with and have a tendency to wander.
To register, contact Crystal Johnson, a program specialist with ElderServe at (914) 368-5506 or