Preparative collaboration for missing persons with dementia in Sweden: a pilot study

What is it about?

The purpose of this paper is to give an account for preparative collaboration between the Police and municipal eldercare in Sweden concerning missing persons with dementia. This study was designed as a qualitative case study, consisting of one focus group with representatives for the participating organisations. The analysis was conducted using directed content analysis. The findings showed a lack of current collaboration and reluctance to new collaborative initiatives. However, when focusing on preparative collaboration of coordinated responses to missing incidents, possibilities for improvement could be identified. The improvements concerned updated personnel response checklists, along with suggestions for an elaborate life story document in eldercare, with Police access. Finally, better coordination of the return of the found person and a follow up were proposed. It is suggested that collaboration must be given different meanings and use different approaches adapted to the different phases in a rescue operation. In the preparation and the response phase, the focus should be on coordination of the resources available. In the pre-planning and prevention phases, as well as in evaluation and learning, horizontal collaboration is more suitable. The amount of data in this study is a research limitation which calls for further research. The origin of this paper can be found in the novelty of missing person research in Sweden, and in practical suggestions for preparative collaboration concerning persons with dementia who go missing. Finally, it can be found in the suggested need for a more dynamic and process-sensitive view/use of collaboration in SAR/rescue operations.

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