Funded by a $6,000 anonymous donation, residents of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, who suffer from illnesses that produce dementia will be able to have tracking bracelets that allow emergency personnel to find them if they wander.
“Our department is thrilled to be able to implement this vital program,” Portsmouth Fire Chief Jeffrey Lynch told the East Bay Newspapers. “Last year, we were involved in a search and rescue effort to locate a man from Prudence Island who suffered from Alzheimer’s and wandered from his home. We were able to locate him the following day, but he later succumbed to his injuries. Had he been wearing a wristband, we would have found him almost immediately and his tragic death could have been prevented.”
A benefactor from out of state donated the money for the program that funds equipment and training for using the bracelets. Portsmouth firefighters are the first officials in Rhode Island to receive the system, which is provided by the FOUND Program of the National Autism Association.
The money will provide five of the $300 tracking wristbands to families with demonstrated financial need, plus one year of the $25 annual maintenance fee.
Wendy Fournier, who is president of the National Autism Association, told the newspaper that people receiving the equipment can gain peace of mind for their loved ones who suffer from a cognitive impairment and are prone to wander.
“Many are non-verbal and do not respond to a searcher calling for them,” she said.
The bracelet’s broadcast range is about a mile, and once reported as misssing, the average wandering patient is found within 30 minutes, Fournier said.
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