The Herbert Protocol helps keep family members with dementia safe in the event that they start to wander away from home.
The Herbert Protocol is an initiative named after George Herbert, a gentlemand and a veteran of the Normandy Landings, who lived with dementia.
Living with dementia is challenging and planning ahead is important. West Yorkshire Police report that more than 60% of people living with dementia can at some point start to “walk about” and may get lost or go missing. This leads to feelings of confusion, fear and vulnerability – particularly if it occurs at night time or in extreme weather.
A system has been put in place nationally to help give emergency services the bet possible information should a missing person’s search be required.
The “Golden Hour” is the first hour after someone goes missing. The Police have the best chance of finding the missing person in that first hour, so speed of response is critical. By joining the Herbert Protocol, the Police gain access to important information more quickly, helping to speed up reponse times and enabling the search to be targeted at the most likely areas.
Signing up to the Herbert Protocol involves completing a simple form with details about the person with dementia. For example questions include:
Contact details
Current and previous addresses
Places of personal interest or significance
Habits
Hobbies
A general description (including a recent photograph)
Distinguishing features
Mobile phone usually carried plus the number.
This information is added to a database. If the person goes missing, the Police can quickly access the details and more quickly instigate an effective, targeted search.
Download a leaflet about the Protocol