Sheriff Offering Scent Kits For People with Alzheimer’s, Autism

(KNSI) – The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office is offering families who have a loved one with Alzheimer’s Disease some peace of mind.

Starting Tuesday, the sheriff’s office and Northway Academy are making scent kits available in honor of Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. The kits are used to gather a person’s scent and aid the department’s K9 in tracking someone if they go missing.

Sheriff Steve Soyka says the scent kits are easy to use, come with instructions, are kept by the family and are good for ten years. “While the hope is that we will never need to use this kit, it is another tool that our agency and our K9 can use to help find your loved one should they go missing or wander off.”

The scent kit program is being launched in conjunction with November being Alzheimer’s Awareness Month; however, the kits may also be used for those with autism.

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