The image on this t-shirt is of actual video surveillance of Norman, my 75 year old dad, who wandered from his home in Toronto, Canada on April 9th 2024 and launched a city wide
search led by Toronto Police Service, to find him. He was located 48 hours later on April 11th, 2024 by a crossing guard, after walking more than 100 km in search of his way back.
Norman (Marathon Man) has dementia and wandering is one of the behaviours of this disease. He beat the odds, as an older person going missing for more than 24 hours, becomes a life or death situation. According to Alzheimer’s Society of Canada, 6.3 million people in Canada will develop, live with and/or ultimately die with dementia between 2020 and 2050. This number is staggering and the number of older people who are being reported missing in Canada is raising an alarm bell for advocates who say the problem will only get worse as the population ages. Norman’s story, highlights the urgency to address this issue head on. 50% of the proceeds from this t-shirt, go to elderly persons in the GTA living with dementia to assist with the cost of their care such as medical bracelets, smart home technology, gps tracking devices, PSW supports etc. The goal is to increase the chances that those who are lost will be FOUND.