A Nova Scotia man hopes a stuffed bear will help him reconnect with his Alzheimer's-stricken wife, who was whisked away to England 18 months ago without his consent.

Sandy Munroe is travelling overseas this weekend to see Heli, his wife of 43 years. He says he'll bring a teddy bear she used to play with when she was little.

"I hope that she will be able to recognize me, whether by speech or by singing or just by holding her hand, and that perhaps I'll get a little smile or a hand squeeze out of that situation," Munroe said Wednesday.

Heli, 64, is now in a mental hospital in North Yorkshire.

In November 2005, her brother visited her at her home in Tennycape. He said he was taking her out to lunch, but put her on a plane instead.

Marek Pospieszalski has told various newspapers his sister wasn't happy and she wanted to see her siblings and father back home in England.

Sandy Munroe, who has legal guardianship over Heli, argues she was taken without his approval. Police investigated, but no charges were ever laid.

Halifax MP Alexa McDonough says the Nova Scotia public prosecution service deemed the case "unwinable" and dropped it.

At a news conference Wednesday she called for legal changes to prevent Alzheimer's patients and adults suffering from dementia from being spirited away.

"Had Heli Munroe been a child when she was removed from her home a whole series of things would have gone into high gear to recover her and bring her back to her lawful and chosen guardians," McDonough said, adding she's working with federal officials.

Sandy Munroe plans to spend about a week in England. He says he wanted to see her sooner, but her brother only revealed her whereabouts a few months ago.