Tracking

Faypar

Registered User
Jul 23, 2017
2
0
Hi, my mum has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and last week she wondered off for 7 hours before the police found her the other side of town. Can anyone recommend a tracking device, she doesn't own a mobile and gets a bit aggressive if we mention the Alzheimer's. Thank you
 

LadyA

Registered User
Oct 19, 2009
13,730
0
Ireland
Hello Faypar and welcome. That must have been a harrowing experience, to have your mum missing so long. And of course there's the worry that it will happen again.

I've no experience of tracking devices, so can't recommend any particular one. But I know if you Google something like "tracking devices for people with dementia" it should get you somewhere. I've seen small GPS tracker "tiles" that can be attached to a keyring or slipped into a handbag, purse or pocket. I've never seen anything foolproof though. All of them depend on the person having the device with them when they go out!
 

Philbo

Registered User
Feb 28, 2017
853
0
Kent
Hi, my mum has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and last week she wondered off for 7 hours before the police found her the other side of town. Can anyone recommend a tracking device, she doesn't own a mobile and gets a bit aggressive if we mention the Alzheimer's. Thank you

Hi Faypar

I know that forum rules are against naming products or companies but it is difficult to respond to a such a request without doing so? So hopefully, this will be okay.

My wife has a Vega GPS watch, which is a little bit bulky but can be fitted with a strap that makes it easy to remove, or one that requires a little plastic thingy to unclasp it. (which is what she has). I believe you can either buy or rent but there are ongoing monitoring charges. We were lucky, as our local care navigator organisations (who partner our LA) provided it FOC.

You don't say if your mum lives with you or anyone else but if she is alone, then it may be difficult for you to ensure that she wears one of these or any other tracking type device? You can get ones where you "hide" the device in clothing, purse etc but again, you are reliant on the person taking that item with them?

As a back up, I discovered that Kent Police are running a scheme where you effectively complete a "vulnerable people missing person" report. This entails filling out a form that gives information about the person, description etc and places that they may go to (past addresses, schools, favourite haunts etc). The idea is that a "ghost" missing person report is created so that if the worse happens, a huge amount of time is saved and they can start looking (resources/priorities permitting, of course) straightaway.

It may be worth checking if they have anything similar in your mum's area.

Hope this helps.

Phil
 

Pete R

Registered User
Jul 26, 2014
2,036
0
Staffs
I know that forum rules are against naming products or companies but it is difficult to respond to a such a request without doing so? So hopefully, this will be okay.

From the T's & C's.......

Personal endorsements of products or services that may be of benefit to our users may be permitted on this forum, but if you have any commercial interest please declare this openly and refer to our Help section on Advertising.

:)
 

marionq

Registered User
Apr 24, 2013
6,449
0
Scotland
The most useful tracker is one that sends a signal back to your smart phone map. It worked well with my husband for a while, previous longest disappearance was ten hours, but eventually he would go from one bus to another with no idea where he was. A bad knee has limited his walking but best of all is daycentre where he is kept busy four days a week.

His tracker cost £200 from a firm in Devon and he wore it under his shirt round his neck. I have to warn you this is a short term solution so think what the next step will be.
 

Beate

Registered User
May 21, 2014
12,179
0
London
Contact Social Services, they can provide trackers free of charge through the telecare department after an assessment. No point spending hundreds if they can help for free.
 

Blue Monday

Registered User
Aug 24, 2017
6
0
Totally agree with #5. Up here, north of the border, (depends on your local authority of course) these are provided free, albeit on a trial basis
 

deta2

New member
Mar 1, 2018
1
0
Hi, my mum has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and last week she wondered off for 7 hours before the police found her the other side of town. Can anyone recommend a tracking device, she doesn't own a mobile and gets a bit aggressive if we mention the Alzheimer's. Thank you

My Dad has dimensia and last June went missing for 7 1/2 hours. He took a bad fall down a ravine and was in ICU for three days. We cannot stop his desire to wander. I spent many days researching tracking devices. We purchased the Keruve watch. It was very expensive but we can hit a button on our computer or smart phone and track him. The locating gps is EXACT.

Here are the cons: The watch has, what we feel, a faulty construction design. The watch face is held to the band as most watches, with two pins at the watch face. The band also has two pins connecting it to the gps unit on the under side of the band. My 88 year old Dad has pulled hard enough on the band to break those pins loose and take the watch off....multiple times. At the suggestion of the Keruve representative we have had the pins replaced and glued in multiple times. The watch does not keep time.....back to watch repair shop for new battery...still does not keep time. Each time we have had a problem we have contacted the representative and been told he would contact the company and get back to us. He has not.

The watch location is the best you can get....but will do no good if you cannot keep it on the body.
For a woman with little strength this would be great but an agitated adult can break the pins and pull it off.
 

Beate

Registered User
May 21, 2014
12,179
0
London
No offence but wandering off is extremely dangerous so I don't think a tracking device alone is going to cut it. If you want to avoid someone wandering off you have to introduce more supervision, whether it is through day care, carers or ultimately a care home. Being lost for 7 hours in the current snowy conditions could kill someone. Social Services have a duty of care for vulnerable adults at risk, so contact them for an assessment. They can provide trackers via telecare but also other support.