Calgary Health Facilities Pilots GPS Tracking Program for Dementia Patients
26 Aug 2014Families of dementia patients will soon be able to track their loved ones in Calgary with GPS tracking devices for the elderly with dementia or Alzheimer’s.
Hospital and health facilities in Calgary are working hard to get a new program started that will offer GPS tracking for their dementia and Alzheimer’s patients. According to recent studies, there about 300 people every year that go missing from Calgary health facilities. Many of them are Alzheimer’s or dementia patients that wander off and are unable to find their way back. Not only is it scary for their loved ones and puts the patient in jeopardy, but it costs a lot of time and energy tracking them down.
Now with the GPS program, Calgary health officials are hoping to make it a simple process for everyone involved. The dangers of wandering patients with dementia puts themselves into worrisome situations. It is not uncommon for them to walk into busy city streets, in front of vehicles, or not take their coat and head out into the bitter cold weather. Some patients have been found with severe frostbite or worse, just because of how long it took to find them. Other investigations were never closed because the person could not be found.
Luckily, many of the people found with Alzheimer’s or dementia have gotten the attention of strangers who called the police or nearby hospitals. Not everyone is this lucky, however. Now Calgary health facility officials are starting a program that lets relatives track their loved ones with GPS-enabled tracking devices to keep track of their whereabouts and be notified as soon as they walk outside of the designated area.
The head of the Calgary Police Service’s Missing Person team, Sgt. John Hebert, told reporters he believes this is a great idea. He said, “Any technology we can add to the toolbox is a valuable addition.”
The Alberta Health Services is launching the GPS project after other locations around the world have used similar technology for their patients. The tracking devices will be worn on the person in the form of an ankle bracelet or wrist bracelet.
It will be programmed with their personal information and boundaries set, so that an alarm goes off if they step outside of their boundaries. These boundaries are usually outside of the hospital they are staying or their own home. A family member has a smartphone with an app for the GPS tracker, which they can check at any time and also be notified if their relative wanders off a little too far. There is a map that shows exactly where they are and which direction they are heading.
Other facilities using GPS trackers have found the patient in less than 20 minutes, which allowed them to return safe and sound. The program is currently in the pilot stage and will soon be asking for volunteers. Nobody is forced to wear a tracking device against their will, but some relatives might soon be volunteering for the safety of their loved ones.
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