Project Lifesaver Tracking Devices Keep Older Adults Safe

Project Lifesaver is the premier search and rescue program operated internationally by public safety agencies, and is strategically designed for at-risk individuals who are prone to the life-threatening behavior of wandering. The tracking devices available through Project Lifesaver help provide timely response to save lives and reduce potential injury for adults and children with the propensity to wander due to a cognitive condition.

Lost older woman sits on bench

How to Apply

To be eligible for Project Lifesaver, the individual must have 24-hour supervision in the home. Call our Advice Line to learn more.

Program Details & Requirements

The method relies on proven radio technology and specially trained search and rescue teams. Individuals enrolled in Project Lifesaver wear a small transmitter on the wrist or ankle that emits a unique frequency signal. If an enrolled individual goes missing, the caregiver notifies their local Project Lifesaver agency, and a trained emergency team responds to the wanderer’s area. The first responders will then use the individual’s unique frequency to locate them.

Those with a diagnosis of:

  • Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Dementia
  • MR/DD
  • Autism or Down’s Syndrome
  • Other diagnoses resulting in cognitive impairment, memory loss, and a potential to wander

To be eligible for Project Lifesaver, the individual must have 24-hour supervision in the home.

  • More than 3,947 wanderers found to date
  • 95% Alzheimer’s Disease wanderers and 5% children with special needs
  • Average Location Time: 30 Minutes
  • 100% Success Record
  • Over 5,000,000 people in the United States have Alzheimer’s and/or related cognitive impairment. The number will triple by 2050. Well over 50% of these people wander and become lost. A lost person with dementia represents a critical emergency. They are unaware of their situation. Nearly half will die and many fall victim to predators if not located within 24 hours.

The Caregiver Support Program addresses the growing needs of informal caregivers providing care for loved ones at home.

Services provided through this program include in-home caregiver training, one-on-one support by a case manager, information and caregiver referrals to community providers, legal services, and respite assistance.

The Caregiver Support program offers in-home training that includes a variety of topics related to caregiving, like:

  • Proper body mechanics in moving lifting, or transferring a care receiver
  • Techniques on how to give a bath to a person who is bed bound
  • Use of assistive devices such as gait belts
  • Use of medical equipment such as a hydraulic hoyer lift

Advice Line

Older Adults & Caregivers

We connect older adults, individuals with disabilities, and their caregivers with relevant program and enrollment information.

Need immediate help for yourself or a loved one?

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