Mankind has a much longer lifespan than we used to compared to a century ago due to medical advancements and the improving living standards. The population of people over 60 is expected to increase from 12% to 22% of world population by 2050. For the first time in the history of mankind, most people are predicted to live into their sixties and beyond. Of course, this drastic change in life expectancy brings its own problems along with it.
As of now, there are 36 million senior citizens worldwide that are affected by Alzheimer’s disease and according to the scientists, the number of afflicted people will double every 20 years. The aging population of the world contributes to the rising number of neurological disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease which causes a person to lose their basic abilities to live a normal life. These diseases deteriorate an individual’s memory to a degree that even family members and surroundings even their own home become unfamiliar.
Finding people with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease who constantly wander off on their own is one of the biggest challenges family members and caregivers face on a daily basis. Experts say that a missing person’s chance to survive reduces to 50% if they are not found within 24 hours. Considering that 60% of people with Alzheimer’s disease go missing at least once during the progression of their condition and tend to repeat this behavior many times, people in charge of taking care of these elders need a way to observe their every step and make sure they are safe.
There are many reasons why Alzheimer patients run away from the safety of their homes. It is important to understand the underlying circumstances why the senior citizens behave the way they do and take precautions accordingly. While it may be frustrating to take care of people with these conditions, the responsible parties can enlist the help of modern technology to make life easier for the elders. Personal tracking devices specifically designed for dementia and Alzheimer’s patients can be a lifesaver for people that have to deal with their consequences every day. Alzheimer’s trackers are equipped with state-of-the-art features such as live tracking, safe zones and SOS (News - Alert) button to help in emergency situations.
In today’s world, people over the age of 60 are the fastest growing age group. The increasing age demographic also increases the number of elderly people with neurodegenerative diseases. The biggest burden falls on the families and carers that look after these senior loved ones. However, they can alleviate their fears with a simple yet very effective device. Alzheimer’s trackers are excellent for surveillance and safety purposes. Geofence zone feature can be used to create safe perimeters around places the elders spend extended amounts of time.
While dementia and Alzheimer’s patients like to spend most of their time in their homes, like all people, they get the urge to socialize as well. The caretakers can create a virtual boundary around the place they would like to visit and set up an alert for breaches. With a geofence zone in place, the elderly carrying the tracking device can’t take a step outside the perimeter without alerting their carers. And if they do, the elderly tracker sends an instant smartphone notification to all the designated people. If it is an emergency situation or an unplanned movement, families can alert the local law enforcement agencies to find their loved one before it is too late.
No matter how many safeguards there are in place or how careful the caretakers are, Alzheimer’s patients manage to sneak out and go missing. Even the most careful caregiver can be distracted for a few moments and sometimes that is more than enough. Once they are lost, senior citizens need to be located and recovered immediately or the consequences can be dire. Luckily for caregivers, GPS tracking technology has advanced to a level that it’s now affordable and easy to use by all.
A GPS tracker for Alzheimer’s patients can reduce the time to track the precise location of a lost elder drastically. People with access to the tracking device can pinpoint the whereabouts of their loved one with the push of a few buttons by using the tracking APP. Family members can provide the police officers with the exact location and help them organize a rescue operation preventing the lost elderly from getting injured or worse. Similar situations usually end up with relatives getting bad news from the police but with an Alzheimer’s tracker in place, families can guarantee the safe return of their senior family members.
Alzheimer’s tracking devices are the perfect solution for every possible scenario caregivers and patient relatives are likely to encounter. Elders with cognitive diseases have to be monitored closely to ensure their safety and personal tracking technology offers all the necessary tools. An Alzheimer’s tracker can locate anyone on demand, provide alerts and notifications for important events and inform the families about the emergency situations. Dementia and Alzheimer’s patients may be in constant danger of wandering but an elderly tracking device can give at least some of their independence back and allow them to lead a more normal life.
Author Bio: Sunil Gupta is the founder of ACG Digital Marketing a digital marketing company based in India.
