The Lloyd Liken Dementia Awareness Program

This program and effort took root from the Lloyd Liken case of 2023. Lloyd was suffering from undiagnosed dementia and went missing in November of 2023 when he left a residence in Bismarck. He was in his vehicle and it was not until two days later that his daughter and son-in-law went to pick him up at his apartment that it was realized he was missing. A Silver Alert was denied issuance as the criteria at the time required a physician's diagnosis. The family was left to implement search efforts much to their own ability and with assistance of Badlands SAR and citizens across the state of North Dakota. Searching was done until winter conditions forced the search to pause for safety concerns. In April of 2024, just a week shy of search efforts being planned to begin again, a private landowner in Wells County located Lloyd's vehicle stuck in a shallow slough in a pasture over three quarters of a mile from the nearest public road. Soon after and within 500 yards of the vehicle, Lloyd was found, having succumbed to exposure of the winter elements.

Reviewing the circumstances of this case and the need for better and earlier alerts and search efforts, we began efforts to improve the Silver Alert criteria through legislative action in the 2025 North Dakota Legislative Session. This became Senate Bill 2098. The bill sought to improve upon and ease the requirements for a Silver Alert to be issued, removing the diagnosis requirement specifically. This effort proved successful thanks in large part to the efforts of Lloyd Likens daughter as she was determined that no other family suffer and have to go through what her's did. 

In February and March of 2025, Badlands SAR came into contact with representatives of the Alzheimer's Association at the state capitol and through discussion of the Lloyd Liken case and what the association has for programs and ongoing efforts, the idea was hatched to join forces on the need to educate and promote awareness in a proactive way and to work towards a more prepared and knowledgeable community in efforts to intervene in the potential for anyone suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's to wander away, by foot or vehicle, and go undetected, become lost or stranded, and in turn, be in imminent danger.

As specific programs are brought online and we move to implement them across the state, we will share that information here.

For now, please view the contact information below for the North Dakota contact for the Alzheimer's Association. If you or someone you know is dealing with the challenges of having a family member or friend living with dementia or Alzheimer's, there is help available to assist.