GPS Tracking Systems » GPS tracking elderly

Public funding of GPS tracking for Alzheimer’s patients?

Rich — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 15:22:38 +0000

An Albany County, New York, legislator is planning to introduce a bill establishing a feasibility study to investigate possible county funding of GPS monitoring of Alzheimer’s patients. According to the Albany Times Union, Legislator Paulette Barlette said,

Between 60 and 70 percent of all Alzheimer’s patients will wander and possibly get lost at some point during the course of their disease and a staggering 50 percent will die if they are not found within 24 hours.

The county apparently already has a GPS tracking program in place, though the article doesn’t reveal what type. The bill will be introduced Tuesday night.

Project Lifesaver moves to GPS tracking

Rich — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 16:44:24 +0000

Project Lifesaver International, a public safety oriented nonprofit, has announced that they will add the latest in cellular and global positioning system (GPS) technology to their product line. Used to track Alzheimer’s and dementia patients and others, Project Lifesaver currently relies on radio technology.

The new system will use GPS tracking and cellular technology developed by Locator Systems Corporation

“We are providing Project Lifesaver with the latest in cellular, GPS and location-based software,” said Jim McIntosh, CEO of Locator Systems. “Having this integrated with their existing services allows them to continue to be world leaders in providing a complete program for locating individuals who wander or become lost.”

Alzheimer’s GPS bracelet coming to U.S.?

Rich — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 20:49:06 +0000

Last year I posted a story about GPS tracking of Alzheimer’s patients. It turns out that Medical Intelligence Technologies, makers of the Columba GPS bracelet are expanding aggressively in Europe and are courting partners for a U.S. introduction by the end of 2007.

According to an article in The (Montreal) Gazette, the GPS tracking bracelet “sells for $300 plus a $60 per month subscriber fee. Government reimbursement of the cost is an active issue in marketing the device.” In the U.S. the issue may be reimbursement by private insurance.

GPS tracking of Alzheimer’s patients

Rich — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 20:34:41 +0000

A Spanish consortium has created a GPS tracking device for elderly Alzheimer’s patients. The device, dubbed the Columba, integrates GPS with GSM cell phone technology. The result is…

…a watch-sized bracelet that allows the Alzheimer sufferer to move around without restricting their liberty.

If the wearer of the Columba bracelet leaves their habitual geographic area, which has been previously defined by their relatives or carers, the device automatically sends out an alert to advise those responsible for the patient.

The wearer of the bracelet can be located immediately — through a telephone assistance centre that operates 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year — and the patient can be contacted using the device’s hands-free function.

GPS tracking Alzheimer’s disease