CareRing map presentation showing tracking history for a CareRing wearer in a vehicle. Map generated by selecting date and time intervals.
CareRing map presentation showing tracking history for a CareRing wearer on a trail walk. Map generated by selecting date and time intervals.
TECHNOLOGIES FOR ALZHEIMER’S CARE
RF, GPS OR BOTH?
When you’re caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or other type of dementia, you will face many challenges. One of the most complex is having a loved one who’s very active and prone to leaving the home. You want them to be active and have the ability to explore new things but once they are out of your sight, anxiety and fear become your unwanted companions.
In the article, When a Neighbor Wanders, Mike Good shares how he was both touched and frightened when a neighbor he didn’t even know became lost in his own neighborhood. The fear he felt as he helped search for him can not even come close to what the family must have felt.
Recently, a husband took his wife with Alzheimer’s disease on a camping trip. It was great for him to get her out of the house and doing something that enriched her life. Unfortunately, she became lost. Who knows why she ventured away – maybe it was curiosity of a plant she saw, a sound she heard, or maybe she was disoriented and wanted to return home.
Even though there was an extensive search for her that involved dozens of law enforcement personnel as well as volunteers, she wasn’t found. There was even speculation that she got into a car with someone and was hundreds of miles away.
Six weeks later, she was found deceased less than ½ a mile away from the campsite. I can’t even imagine the grief the family must have felt during this ordeal and the disappointment about how close she was the whole time.
This could have been prevented and she could have been found alive in less than 30 minutes if a VHF tracker was used to help when families are in this situation. Everyone’s first thought is GPS. But that wouldn’t have worked in this particular situation due to the terrain. What we really need to talk about in our communities is RF technology.
What about RF?
Elopement is a common concern families face when their loved one is dealing with a neurological problem. For example Alzheimer’s disease or Autism. With Alzheimer’s disease, risk for wandering not only increases family stress but it can reduce independence of person with the disease…