Police Photograph Alzheimer's Patients

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - Delray Beach Police in Florida are starting something new to help keep seniors suffering from Alzheimer's disease safe -- they are taking pictures of them and building a database of the patients.

The SunSentinel reports the police are hoping the database will help police find seniors more quickly should they go missing.

Police Sgt. John Evans came up with the idea because photos are the first and most important thing police need when a senior is missing.

"Normally the photos are five to 10 years old, if they have a current photo at all," Evans said.

The databases will also include names, addresses, phone numbers, vital information on health and medications, and places that the senior citizens may have wandered off to before.

Delray Beach police said they will take photos for the database every two or three months to keep it up to date.

More than 5 million Americans are afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. There is no cure at this point, but an experimental drug called bapineuzumab being tested at a Pennsylvania hospital is offering new hope for patients.