Missing Alzheimer's patient found alive recovering at UK Hospital

By: Andy Cunningham Email

Updated: Fri 7:52 PM, Jun 22, 2012

Found near death, doctors say an Alzheimer's patient missing for three days in the Red River Gorge is lucky to be alive.

Rescuers found Gerald Keith Bush, 66, severely dehydrated and unresponsive near Skybridge.

"I'm just grateful he's alive," said Gerald's younger brother, Woody Bush. "I was beginning to lose hope after 72-hours in the woods."

The crews caught the big break after a highly-specialized bloodhound tracked Bush's scent. The bloodhound, which was brought in from Tennessee, was able to track down Bush in roughly 20 minutes.

"That's all it took, it was amazing," said Eddie Conner with Wolfe County Search & Rescue. "It was just a big relief for all of us when we found him."

According to another rescuer, Bush was found on a trail "some distance" away from where he was last seen.

At this time, Bush remains in critical but stable condition at UK Hospital where he was flown late Thursday night. A family member tells WKYT Bush will likely lose his left leg from the knee down, because of an injury he suffered while lost in the Gorge.

Bush, who suffers from Alzheimer's and dementia, has been missing since Monday where he was last seen wondering away from a bench where family members left him while they hiked a trail.

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