POUGHKEEPSIE – Dutchess County Sheriff Kirk Imperati has showcased Project Lifesaver, which is designed to improve the safety of Dementia and Alzheimer’s patients. The program, managed by Dutchess County Deputy Sheriff Seymour, uses a small tracking device to locate patients who have wandered away from where they are supposed to be.
There are over 5.5 million people with Alzheimer’s in the U.S., and it is estimated that 60 percent of those individuals (3.3 million) will wander during the progression of their disease, many of them repeatedly. Sheriff Imperati said, “It’s a tremendous program that improves the safety of seniors and patients with Dementia or Alzheimer’s. If a person wearing the monitor goes missing, the family or caregiver will call us and we can work to rapidly locate the person and return them to a safe environment.”
The costs associated with the program are covered by grants the sheriff receives from the state and the Dutchess County Legislature.
Project Lifesaver International, a nonprofit organization that works hand-in-hand with trained public safety agencies such as the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) to find wanderers. As part of the Project Lifesaver network the DCSO has been provided with tracking equipment that they can use to locate wanderers who participate in the program. Caregivers have to sign up for the program with the DCSO. They receive a small tracking device that their loved one wears around their wrist or ankle. The device emits an individual tracking signal, and, if the person goes missing, the caregiver notifies 911 and trained emergency teams take over.
The personal transmitter tracks the person’s location and the direction in which they are moving to help emergency personnel find them as quickly as possible. Radio Frequency Technology has a 1-mile tracking radius on the ground and up to 7 miles in the air.
The national statistics on wanderers are alarming, according to Project Lifesaver International. Up to half of wanderers who are not found in 24 hours will suffer a serious injury or death. Using Project Lifesaver, most wanderers are found within a few miles of home, and search times have been reduced from days to hours, and in some cases, minutes. The average recovery time is 30 minutes, which is 95% less time than standard operations.
Those interested in learning more about the DCSO participation in Project Lifesaver can call Deputy Seymour at 845-486-3800.
