How to Keep Your Wandering Loved One Safe
How to Keep Your Wandering Loved One Safe
When your loved one has dementia or Alzheimer’s, sometimes they can develop wandering issues. Your family member may become disoriented or feel lost once they leave their home or even their bedroom. If the person leaves their or your home, they can aimlessly wander around and become lost.
To help keep this from happening to your loved one, you can use GPS tracking devices to keep your family member safe. Your family member can have a GPS device in their shoes, a tracking bracelet, on a key chain, or a device that attaches to clothing. Below are some tracking devices that help keep your family member safe:
- Pocketfinder + personal tracker: How the Pocketfinder works is that it uses Wi-Fi, GPS, and cellular information to help to locate the wearer. It's a small device and can fit on a key chain or in a pocket plus, it's waterproof. It will give the viewer the person's GPS location, the address, the altitude, how far you are away from the address, and how fast the person with the device is moving.
The Pocketfinder gives constant updates through text and email notifications through your smartphone or computer. It will provide you up to 60 days of alerts and tracking history when your loved one leaves the specific geo-fence zone that you create for safety. - Freedom Guardian Alert Watch: This watch is designed for seniors and is lightweight with large icons and simple design. The watch has GPS location tracking, an emergency SOS, and text-to-speech messaging. Plus, there are reminders for appointments and alerts for medication.
- Mindme Locate: This buttonless, key-size device can be attached to a keychain or belt to track your family member's location. You can look up where your family member is at any time on the Mindme website. Plus, you can call the response team if there’s an emergency.
- GPS SmartSole: This GPS SmartSole is a tracking device. It’s sealed in a trimmable shoe insert that is water-resistant. When you set up an account on the GTX's website, you can track your family member's location history. Plus, you can receive alerts through text or email from the device. You can access the smart locator app and map wherever T-Mobile is available. But you don't have to be a T-Mobile customer to be able to use the device. With everyday use, the SmartSole has a battery life of two-to-three days. It will alert you with a text or email when the battery is running low.
- Project Lifesaver’s PLI-PR1 Perimeter alarm system: This is probably the easiest to use item on this list. Project Lifesaver's alarm system has a non-GPS device. There aren't any touchscreens or as needed. It's a wristband that your loved one wears that transmits a radio signal to the handheld receiver than you carry. When your loved one leaves the safety zone that you've established, the alarm sounds on the receiver to let you know. The safety zone is about 300 feet outdoors and about 100 feet indoors.
You would have to enroll your loved one in the Project Lifesaver locally. It's an organization that has taken 20 years to build up a nationwide network of certified public safety agencies. These agencies include first responders, law enforcement, and fire and rescue teams. The organization sends a trained emergency team to respond to your area of location. The recovery time for most wandering emergencies averages about 30 minutes.
If you need assistance with your wandering family member, we here at Right at Home can help. We have qualified professional caregivers who are trained on how to handle wandering issues. Call us today.
