Janet Bandurak, a missing Nova Scotia woman, hasn’t been seen for nearly two weeks. While her family holds out hope of a safe return, they also have a message for people with family members dealing with mental illness.

With his father in hospital and his mother nowhere to be found, Adam Bandurak has spent two weeks tending to his parents’ home in Middleton, N.S. since she went missing on Sept. 8, 2019 – as well as trying to find her.

“I've been driving around, trying to talk to neighbours,” says Bandurak. “Talking to people, just driving along to see if I could see her.”

While Bandurak searches for his mother, Nova Scotia RCMP continues its own search for the missing 66-year-old woman, who last seen leaving a home on Exhibition Street in Kentville, N.S.

“We've used ground search and rescue teams, we've used police dogs, we've used helicopters," says Nova Scotia RCMP spokesperson, Cpl. Jennifer Clarke. “If someone has information about where Janet could have been seen last, we can use that to maybe start another search of the area to get us a little bit more information about what's happened to her.”

Leaving a hospital visit with her husband, Bandurak was supposed to drive to her friend’s house, but her family believes she made a wrong a turn. On Sept. 9, her truck was found abandoned along a stretch of Highway 221. While there have been no confirmed sightings of her since, some tips suggest she may have found her way to Berwick, N.S., 15 kilometres away.

RCMP believe Bandurak may have spoken to someone in a red minivan, and they're looking for information. In addition, police also are asking for the public’s help – not ruling out she could be closer than suspected.

“If you have a larger property, maybe with an outbuilding that you don't go in very often or check – check that,” says Cpl. Clarke “If you have any information, please contact us.”

And although his mother hasn’t been diagnosed, Bandurak believes she has dementia – but hopes something will spark her memory and bring her home. He also hopes people with parents displaying signs of dementia and other mental health disorders will take a more proactive approach and avoid the situation he’s experiencing.

“If you do have family members dealing with this, just get them help,” says Bandurak. “Because you don't want this to happen to them,”

Meanwhile, police say they will continue their search until Bandurak is found.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Emily Baron Cadloff