Seniors with Alzheimer’s

Many family members of senior citizens diagnosed with Alzheimer’s are benefiting from GPS technology. Family member caretakers are utilizing GPS location devices to ensure their diagnosed loved one is safe and to locate them if need be.

Reaffirming the Need

Alzheimer’s is now the most common form of dementia; it involves memory loss and other cognitive problems. The Baby Boomer generation will be categorized within the highest age range in the next two decades. The population of people living with Alzheimer’s in the United States is expected to double to about 15 million as this transition continues during the next twenty years.

Locating Loved Ones Easily

GPS location devices help the growing demographic of Alzheimer’s patients and their family members. Individuals with Alzheimer’s that have handheld GPS locator for seniors can be located quickly if they get lost. Whether they forget their route or wander from their known location, their caretakers are able to locate them in real time from an Internet source. The satellite technology used for these handheld devices is changing the way family members and caretakers approach the care of their loved one with Alzheimer’s.

Memory Loss and Disorientation Lead to Getting Lost

Alzheimer’s has a gradual onset of symptoms, and is often mistaken for normal dementia in the early stages. By the third stage, the diagnosed patient has trouble remembering names, which leads many to forget street names and become lost. Stage four of Alzheimer’s means forgetting recent events as well as long-term personal history. An Alzheimer’s patient can forget a well-worn path, for instance, from their house to the store. Many GPS location devices offer detailed information on the whereabouts of the individual, as well as driving directions to reach them, and custom email and phone alert capabilities.

Proactive Solutions

Families are finding the risk of their loved one getting lost and injured decreases greatly with the use of personal GPS location devices. This is because alerts can be used to quickly alert users that the senior has gone outside an acceptable zone. Because of the nature of the disease, an Alzheimer patient is in great danger if he or she cannot be found and cared for. One characteristic of the disease is a withdrawn demeanor, which leads many patients to try to move to a more isolated area. Alzheimer’s Community Care CEO Mary Barnes commented: “we feel that the patient needs to be found in 4 to 6 hours or the risk of finding them alive is diminished”. With satellite technology processing near real time information, family caretakers are able to locate their loved one before risk sets in.

GPS Locators Relieve Stress for User

More and more GPS location devices are being offered on the market today. The safety they offer is benefiting Alzheimer patients and their family members. More than 60% of family member caregivers have reported high levels of stress while caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. GPS location devices alleviate this stress greatly, and give family members peace of mind.

Families are finding GPS technology to be one helpful solution in an situation that does not have many solutions.