Friday, May 2, 2014
In Florida, as in some other states, we have a silver alert system to alert motorists that an individual with cognitive impairment is missing. We all know that some individuals with dementia may wander or get lost and be unable to return home. Technology can certainly help in providing a location of the individual, or even prevent the individual from disappearing. A recent report focuses on how certain technologies assist law enforcement in locating individuals with dementia who have been reported missing.
Lost and Found: and Understanding Technologies to Locate Missing persons with Alzheimer's or Dementia was developed through a grant by the Bureau of Justice Assistance
The purpose of this report is to provide a broad overview of the symptoms of AD/D and the potential impact on persons living with these [diseases], their caregivers, law enforcement, and the community. The report also provides a review of the passive identification techniques, public alert options, locating device technology, and current locative products in the field. The information in this report is designed to provide law enforcement, caregivers, families, and the community with improved skills to better deal with the challenges resulting from AD/D.
The report compares existing technologies, identifying the pros and cons of each and explaining how each works. The appendices include websites for the various technologies.