Patrol officers are searching for Enedina Romero who was last seen at home in the area of Edinger Ave. and Standard Ave. last night, according to the Santa Ana Police Department.
Her family members reported her missing this morning at approximately 4:15 a.m.
Enedina suffers from dementia and walks with a limp from a knee injury. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to contact the SAPD Watch Commander at (714) 245-8700.
Why People with Dementia Often Go Missing
Individuals with dementia or Alzheimer’s go missing primarily due to a behavior known as “wandering,” which affects approximately 6 in 10 people with the condition. This can happen at any stage of the disease and is often triggered by the following factors:
- Disorientation: The brain loses the ability to recognize familiar faces and places, causing individuals to become lost even in their own neighborhoods.
- Past Routines: They may feel a strong urge to fulfill former obligations, such as “going to work” or “picking up the kids,” even if those roles ended decades ago.
- Sundowning: Increased confusion, agitation, and restlessness often occur in the late afternoon and evening, which frequently leads to nighttime wandering.
- Basic Needs: They may set out to find a bathroom, food, or water but forget their original goal or how to return home once they’ve started moving.
- Sensory and Navigation Issues: Dementia impairs visual-spatial processing, making it difficult to judge distances or recognize landmarks from different angles.
Dementia Data for Orange County, CA
Orange County has one of the highest prevalences of dementia in the United States, ranking 7th among all U.S. counties for the total number of residents living with Alzheimer’s.
- Prevalence: More than 164,000 residents in Orange County are estimated to have some form of memory loss, including dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).
- Recent Growth: The number of people living with dementia in the county has roughly doubled in the last decade.
- High-Risk Population: Approximately 11.6% of Orange County residents aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s