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By Greg Bartlett

There is no question that GPS technology has advanced significantly in the last ten years and it has become increasingly popular. The GPS tracking devices are useful in many different ways, from tracking wayward spouses to helping a business run more efficiently. Some other uses that are getting more and more media attention are criminal tracking with GPS bracelets and using GPS technology to find missing children and solve criminal court cases.

One of the newest ways to use GPS tracking devices is in shoes. Shoes with tracking devices can be used to find kidnapped children as well as tracking people with Alzheimer’s disease. A company called GTX Corp. is currently working on a shoe that will be equipped with a GPS tracker. This tracker will be able to point to within 30 feet of the wearer’s location.

These shoes will be critically important for Alzheimer’s patients because about 60% of people with Alzheimer’s have at least one ‘critical wandering incident’. It is vital that something be used to track these patients. GPS tracking devices in the patients’ shoes will likely be more effective than another kind of tracker because in their disoriented state, Alzheimer’s patients remove anything that is put on them that they are not familiar with. Clothing is one of the types of memories that sticks with these patients the longest which will allow patients to use this shoes longer than any other kind of tracker.

Loved ones and caregivers will be able to check up on the Alzheimer’s patients and find their location at any time, which will give them peace of mind. Geo-fencing will be a particularly helpful feature with these GPS tracking devices. This will enable the loved ones or caregivers to set a specific area around the home that the Alzheimer’s patient must stay in. If or when the patient leaves this area, the loved ones can be notified by computer or cell phone.

This technology is very important and will be beneficial to all those with Alzheimer’s disease. Even if the patient has a live-in caregiver, sometimes a short trip to the store is necessary and even the shortest amount of time alone can be enough for the Alzheimer’s patient to wander away.

Hopefully in the next few years, this product as well as many others that incorporate GPS tracking devices will be on the market and will help to make the everyday lives of Americans safer and less stressful.