Wander Location Consulting assists clients who are faced with the challenges of wandering behaviour. Whether you are a family caregiver, health service provider or first responder, we can help you implement programs which lessen the risk of wandering. Wander Location Consulting provides program development, training and implementation of services related to Project Lifesaver and LoJack SafetyNet.
Project Lifesaver is a public safety training and certification program for first responder agencies (police, fire departments, amulance services, or search and rescue agencie) that uses electronic tracking technology to locate citizens who wander due to cognitive disabilities: seniors with Alzheimer’s and related dementia, or children with Autism or Down syndrome. Site: www.projectlifesaver.org
LoJack® SafetyNet™ LoJack has developed the SafetyNet program to utilize technology which tracks people at risk of wandering. Once the program has been established in a community, clients enroll in the LoJack SafetyNet service, and are outfitted with a Personal Locator Unit (PLU) on his or her wrist or ankle. The PLU is standing by and if the client wanders or goes missing, trained law enforcement and public safety agencies use receivers to track the Radio Frequency signal emitted from the PLU. The client is located, rescued and returned to his or her loved ones. Those who track the client have been trained and certified through the Project Lifesaver Program.
http://www.lojack.com/safetynet/Pages/index.aspx
The threat of wandering for those with Alzheimer’s
Wandering is the most life-threatening behaviour for people who have Alzheimer’s disease, or related dementia. Approximately 59% of persons with dementia wander, and of those 59%, 79% will do so repeatedly. The survival rate of a person with cognitive impairment, in good physical condition, that is missing up to 24 hours is 50%. After 24 hours, they will usually be severely injured or possibly dead.
* Statistics collected by Project Lifesaver International.
The threat of bolting behaviour for children with Autism
The National Autism Association of America conducted an online survey showing that 92% of children with autism are prone to wandering. Since 2005, at least 14 children with autism under the age of 12 have died as a result of wandering. According to a study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (Shavelle, et al, 2001), elevated death rates among those with autism were in large part attributed to drowning. Children with Autism who wander are often drawn to water, with disastrous results.
SafetyNet/Project Lifesaver programs bring peace of mind by implementing programs to track those who wander.