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By Greg Bartlett

The Alzheimer’s Association believes that there are around 5.3 million Americans with Alzheimer’s, 60-70% of which will get lost at some point in time. And unfortunately, getting lost could mean injury or death. If the family is not aware that the elderly patient has wandered off, they may not be able to locate and protect the patient before he or she gets very far and is injured or even killed.

For instance, a 77-year-old Alzheimer’s patient in Maine wandered off in his car. His family alerted police and friends, and eventually a statewide alert was put out for him, but five days later they found his car in a bay. The next day, they found his body. In West Virginia, an 89-year-old man wandered off and was found, still alive but dehydrated, two days later.

When an Alzheimer’s patient is lost, it is a frightening time for both the patient and the family. Friends and community members may join in the search for the missing patient, but if the patient isn’t found quickly, he or she may die. GPS monitoring can help family members keep track of loved ones with Alzheimer’s and protect them from danger.
For instance, say your grandfather has Alzheimer’s and lives in a retirement community. You have a GPS tracking device in his car as well as one that he wears, just in case he wanders off on foot. If he does start wandering, you’d be alerted by a text message or phone call the moment he leaves the predetermined boundaries you set, probably the area of the retirement community.

The GPS monitoring device will continue to pinpoint your grandfather’s precise location, permitting you to find him quickly before he is injured or falls into the lake near the retirement community. You’ll be able to follow every movement your grandfather takes. Instead of having to organize a neighborhood-wide or state-wide search, you can know precisely where your grandfather is.

GPS monitoring can save the lives of Alzheimer’s patients by allowing family and friends to monitor their whereabouts and be alerted if the patient starts wandering. Rather than looking for the patient for days, you’ll be able to find your missing loved one within minutes and return him or her to safety. Quickly locating an Alzheimer’s patient can save a life, and with GPS monitoring, it’s possible to do without a search party.