Monday, April 26, 2010

Project Lifesaver International Selected as a Recipient of Today’s Caregiver Magazine’s 2010 Caregiver Friendly ® Awards

April 21, 2010, Chesapeake, VA - Today’s Caregiver, the first national magazine for all family and professional caregivers, as well as caregiver.com, announced the 2010 Caregiver Friendly® Award recipients today. The Caregiver Friendly® Awards are designed to celebrate products, services, books and media created with the needs of caregivers in mind.

Project Lifesaver International (PLI) has been awarded a 2010 Caregiver Friendly Award in the service category. “The average caregiver is responsible for over $40,000 in health related expenditures each year, either in personal or directed funds,” says Gary Barg, Today’s Caregiver magazine’s Editor-in-Chief. “This award is designed to help family caregivers recognize and reward those organizations who will care for them in as committed a manner as they care for their loved ones.”

Project Lifesaver helps provide rapid response to save lives and reduce potential for serious injury for children who wander due to Alzheimer’s, dementia, autism and other related conditions. Project Lifesaver provides equipment, training, certification and support to public safety organizations and community groups throughout the country.

“As parents/caregivers, my wife and I can't ever imagine the fear that would go through our minds if our son Reece, who has severe autism, ever wandered away. Just knowing Reece is on the Project Lifesaver program takes a great deal of weight off our minds and provides us with peace of mind," said Brad Trahan, Founder of the RT Autism Awareness Foundation.

Participants enrolled in the program wear a small, wrist-watch sized radio transmitter, which allows law enforcement to rapidly locate them, should they wander. To date, there are over 1,100 participating public safety agencies (i.e. Police, Fire, EMS, Sheriff, etc) across the United States, D.C, Canada, and Australia, and PLI agencies have performed over 2,100 searches in the last 10 years with no serious injuries or fatalities reported.

“I had no idea when I started this program ten years ago, after spending 33 years in law enforcement, that so many agencies and people would be touched by our mission and rally support for the cause,” said Gene Saunders, CEO and Founder of Project Lifesaver. “Thank you to everyone who supports Project Lifesaver, and today we are truly honored to receive this award.”

Chief Gene Saunders will be in attendance at the Fearless Caregiver Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 to receive the Caregiver Friendly ® Award on behalf of Project Lifesaver International.

About Project Lifesaver International
Established in 1999, Project Lifesaver International is a non-profit organization that is committed to helping families quickly find their loved ones who wander because of Alzheimer's, Down syndrome, dementia, autism, and other cognitive conditions. Project Lifesaver trains agencies on how to search for individuals who become lost by utilizing search and rescue techniques and equipment, as well as how to interact with individuals once they are found to help facilitate a safe escort home. Project Lifesaver is also endorsed by many leading organizations in the country. Project Lifesaver has also created a new program, called Lifesaver Angels, which will be launching in late April. This program will help fund agencies and participants throughout the country who cannot afford the program but so desperately need it. For more information, or to learn how you can become a Lifesaver Angel, visit http://www.projectlifesaver.org/, or call 1-877-580-LIFE.

About the Caregiver Friendly Awards:
The Caregiver Friendly ® Awards are presented by Today’s Caregiver magazine to celebrate outstanding books, media, products and services which have been designed with the best interest of the caregiver and his or her loved one in mind. Today’s Caregiver magazine and caregiver.com, launched in 1995, are published by Caregiver Media Group, which also produces the Fearless Caregiver Conferences.

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