GPS Tracker Info Needed

WestieMom

Hello, this is my first post on this forum. Yesterday my husband who suffers from stroke-induced dementia wandered off into the woods. He was lost for about 3 hours while the police searched with a dog. He was found unharmed and went to emergency room where every medical test was normal. He is subject to delusions, and this is not the first incident. It has been strongly suggested that we use a GPS tracker. It would be best if there were something he wouldn’t be able to take off. If anyone could advise me on what might work, I would greatly their input.

LaurenB

Try going to www.aplaceformom.com/caregiver-resources/articles/gps-trackers

They have several options that might work.  Some use a key fob, but only functional if your LO takes their keys with them, a shoe insert (great if they are wearing their shoes and not barefoot), and some perimeter monitors that allow you to go a certain predetermined boundary before setting off an alert.

Hope this gives you some guidance.

aod326

Hi Westie mom, that must have been very scary. I found it very difficult to find something suitable for my DH because he wouldn't wear anything knowingly, because, of course, he didn't think he had a problem. In the early stages he always took his phone with him and I had several tracking systems (including Life360) on it unbeknownst to him. The trackers that go in shoes weren't an option because I would have had to buy several for all his shoes, and they're expensive.

For a while I was able to use Tiles. He had two jackets he tended to wear and I actually unpicked the seams and sewed a Tile in each jacket. Then the weather got warmer...

For us the most effective thing was alarming the doors. I put on alarms that rang on a monitor I had with me, so it didn't scare him. As soon as I heard the alarm I jumped up and went out with him if I could, or persuaded him not to go out.

There was one fateful day, however, when he kept setting off the alarm and I didn't pay attention because I was working. Five hours, six police officers and a bloodhound later, he was found. 

Good luck.

Becksoderberg

I got my mom a tracking device called QMedic.  It was designed at MIT and they have 2 options, a wrist or a necklace.

Jude4037

The police dept in our city have a free bracelet that they put on them that cannot be taken off and it’s a great program but you have to go to them to have it removed once a month and a new one put on and do checks twice a day. He maybe would wear one but not if he couldn’t take it off at night. The police have training for locating the wearer but I wouldn’t be able to find him.  I may have to try it and see if he’ll wear one.I had a tile but couldn’t get it to work. So I have ID tags for his shoes. It doesn’t track but if he is found at least they know who he is and who to call. He wandered a week ago and was only a block away. A man saw him picking up leaves and putting them in a neat pile at his neighbors house and he thought he was probably disoriented . Just as I was driving around to find him they called. He can’t move very fast so I don’t think he could get far before I realized he was gone. That being said, he’s done lots of things in recent years I would have sworn he would not have thought to do. They do have watches that have GPS on them but they are not cheap and need charging daily. It’s a real challenge to keep them safe. We are in a neighborhood on the edge of town but don’t have woods where he could get lost.