New Equipment Helps Track Alzheimer's Patients Who Wander Away

If your loved one has Alzheimer's and wanders away from home, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office now has a way to help.

The office has received thousands of dollars worth of equipment to help track people with Alzheimer's and other health problems if they become lost.

Project Lifesaver is designed to help find people with Alzheimer's, Autism, Down Syndrome and other disorders and bring them home safely and quickly.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is one of about 20 agencies in the state that are now equipped for Project Lifesaver, and that number is growing.

The device works by picking up a signal from a small radio transmitter and band placed on the person's arm, like a watch.

It can find that signal up to a mile away.

Deputies ran through several scenarios Monday to learn how the devices work and say they were able to find the transmitters in a field in less than 30 minutes.

That shaves hours off of the time it would normally take a search team to find someone who wanders away.

Not only does the device help find those who could be in need of help, it can save their lives.

"But when it comes down to saving a loved one or locating a loved one that may have walked off, that fear and anxiety level's going to come way, way down when we can shorten that response time to get them back home where thy belong," says Captain Danny Walker with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

Pilot International donated $10,000 worth of equipment to the Sheriff's Office, and it has about 8 of the devices in the area.

The organization will determine who gets them and will service them every month to ensure they're working properly.