An 80-year-old man with dementia is safe after going missing December 10, thanks to first responders in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
During their search, police found him lying in a 12-foot ditch, sitting in approximately one foot of water and quickly lifted him out to safety, 13 News Now reported Wednesday.
According to Sergeant Mark Miller of the Virginia Beach Police Department, the man was in extreme danger of succumbing to hypothermia as the minutes passed and he remained trapped in the ditch.
Hypothermia occurs when a person’s body loses heat at a rapid pace, per the Mayo Clinic:
When your body temperature drops, your heart, nervous system and other organs can’t work normally. Left untreated, hypothermia can lead to complete failure of your heart and respiratory system and eventually to death.
Hypothermia is often caused by exposure to cold weather or immersion in cold water. Primary treatments for hypothermia are methods to warm the body back to a normal temperature.
A 911 call came in when the elderly man disappeared from a local hospice facility, and it was not long before the Virginia Beach Aviation Unit took action.
Photos show the black, blue, and gold colored helicopter used in the rescue:
This Virginia Beach Police Department helicopter helped find a missing 80-year-old dementia patient over the weekend. The full story: https://bit.ly/3FxHIzS
Posted by Lauryn Moss WAVY on Wednesday, December 14, 2022
“They immediately went above to look for the man, there they were able to find him pretty readily and then guided officers right to him,” Miller recalled of the operation.
The helicopter’s camera recorded officers finding the man and saving his life.
“We have one of the only aviation units in our area and so we respond to several, several calls. We’re just glad this got a happy ending,” Miller explained.
Now, the man is recovering and wearing a bracelet that tracks his movements, so caregivers know where he is at all times.
According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of dementia may include memory loss, difficulty communicating, confusion, and disorientation.
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