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Medics receive training on dementia patient encounters

Wis. EMS, police, and fire responders learning different approaches for seniors suffering from dementia

By Doug Schneider
Press-Gazette Media

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The growth in the number of older Americans is driving changes in the way that firefighters and police approach calls involving the elderly.

Driven in part by several assaults on officers committed by people suffering from dementia, emergency responders are learning to take different approaches to calls involving seniors.

To someone suffering from dementia, experts say a person in uniform may appear not as someone there to help, but as a uniformed stranger they might believe is a burglar, enemy soldier or other person they don’t want in the house.

Read Full Story: Firefighters, police adjust approach to seniors

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