It is a gut wrenching experience for any family to watch someone they love slip away before their ve...

1. GPS tracking devices considered for people with Alzheimer's
- Montreal caregiver
It is a gut wrenching experience for any family to watch someone they love slip away before their
very eyes. This is the unfortunate reality of families caring for loved ones with Alzheimer disease.
Over an indefinite period of time, Alzheimer disease causes brain damage to the extent that it not
only robs people of their memory but causes impaired judgment, mood and personality changes,
disorientation to person, place and time, problems with moter skills among a host of other
impairments.
And, for the second time in two months, an elderly person suffering from Alzheimer Disease
wandered out of her home only to be found dead hours later from hypothermia. This unfortunate
incident is once again sparking debates about the use of bracelets containing GPS locators for
Alzheimer's patients.
Many people suffering from Alzhiemer's
disease also suffer day night reversal or
sundowning which cause them to
become anxious at night. As a result,
some people with Alzheimer's are prone
to wandering off and getting lost.
As wind chill factors reached almost
minus 20 degrees celcius on January
30th, 80-year-old Vercile Vincent went
outside barefoot wearing nothing but a
housecoat, apparently to get groceries
in her Montreal neighbourhood, only to
be found frozen to death but a few
hours later. As a safety precaution,
experts are once again investigating the
use of GPS tracking devises for people
suffering from Alzheimer's.
Ethical questions might arise, but let's put that aside for now. Instead, let's think about how tracking
a child or an elderly person in a non-invasive way can benefit society at large. An Alzheimer GPS
tracking device can be as simple as a necklace equipped with GPS technology or a GPS
wristwatch. A manufacturer of an Alzheimer GPS tracking watch even comes equipped with a
locking device in order to keep the patient from removing it, whether accidentally or deliberately.
The manner in which these Alzheimer GPS tracking devices will work depends on each
manufacturer. Some may provide constant Alzheimer GPS tracking 24/7 while others will only work
when you want to find out the patient's location.

2. http://www.examiner.com/article/gps-tracking-devices-considered-for-people-with-alzheimer-s