“Project Lifesaver” helps locate wandering loved ones with Alzheimer’s or dementia
COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — The Alzheimer’s Association finds that 60% of people diagnosed with a form of dementia will wander off from their loved ones at some point as the disease progresses.
A local initiative looking to help is called “Project Lifesaver,” and the goal is simple — quickly find your loved one when they stray from home.
The potential wanderer wears a bracelet around their wrist or ankle.
And unlike an Apple Watch or similar device with tracking capabilities, the transmitter is not so easily removed.
“And you might say how could you lose your husband? Someone that you care for. But they can disappear so fast. You can go take a shower and come out and they’re gone,” says Gretchen Brown, a caregiver for a loved one with Alzheimer’s.
She believes “Project Lifesaver” gives her peace of mind.
“It makes me feel like I have an angel on my shoulder. It makes me feel like I’m not alone out there. This job is 24/7,” Brown says.
Senior Deputy Jonaire McClary with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department says the receiver can pick up the bracelet’s signal as far as one mile away.
“Sometimes we don’t have the accurate time frame of when they went missing, so we initially start with the long range. As the chirps start to get closer or louder … stronger … we can decrease that range, which tells us we’re a little bit closer, and the closer we get to the missing person, the chirps intensifies,” she says.
In the event a loved one goes missing, users can call 911, let them know they’re part of the program, and give them a tracking number.
Beth Sulkowski, Vice President of Communications with the Alzheimer’s Association, says people who wander often feel the need to fulfill a former obligation that no longer applies to them such as going to work or picking up their child from school.
Summer heat can also increase confusion and agitation, thereby increasing the risk of wandering.
“Most people who are living with Alzheimer’s or dementia who wander are found within a half mile of their home or starting point. But sometimes they wander quite a distance, sometimes they wander by a motor vehicle. And so having that technology on your side can really make a big difference,” she says.
For more information on project lifesaver, you can call Tim Parcheta at 803-785-2515, or email him at tparcheta@lcsd.sc.gov.
If anyone wishes to donate to LCSD’s “Project Lifesaver” program, they can donate to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Foundation and designate “Project Lifesaver.” Or mail a donation to P.O. Box 303, Lexington S.C. 29072 or call 803-785-2503. Folks can also visit their website at https://www.
