By Becca Schuh | February twenty fourth, 2023
As wearable tech permeates the market, how useful are GPS bracelets for Alzheimer’s and dementia security?
When Eric Rosenthal’s spouse Eva was identified with dementia, he started to seek for expertise that will assist her and their household handle the situation.
“I rapidly realized that for somebody with dementia, a smartphone isn’t so sensible,” Rosenthal advised Being Affected person. “Very early on, Eva would overlook her code, didn’t know how one can lookup numbers and couldn’t even redial the final quantity. Then, she would lose her cellphone on a regular basis, so between the complexity of the cellphone and discovering the cellphone, I noticed that the cellphone was not an answer for her.”
Many individuals depend on smartphones to energy each day life, however that reliance turns into sophisticated when Alzheimer’s signs progress to some extent that an individual is much less ready to make use of once-familiar tech units. Some persons are used to monitoring relations’ places with apps like FindMy, but when somebody forgets their cellphone, these apps turn into ineffective.
An Alzheimer’s medical ID bracelet geared up with data and probably GPS monitoring companies, is one answer households are turning to to deal with a few of these issues of safety so as to assist their family members dwell independently for longer.
GPS expertise in an Alzheimer’s bracelet
Individuals with Alzheimer’s are identified to wander or get misplaced, and it’s a scary second for caregivers after they can’t discover the wandering particular person.
In Japan, the federal government distributes free wearable QR codes for households and caregivers to make use of to find individuals dwelling with dementia in case of a wandering incident. When scanned, the QR codes present data just like the particular person’s identification and their native metropolis corridor’s phone quantity. The codes are made to be put onto bracelets or clothes. The barcodes have been invented by Haruo Hidaka, who watched his personal grandmother’s descent into Alzheimer’s.
To date, there aren’t any related authorities initiatives within the U.S. to guard individuals dwelling with Alzheimer’s. A bracelet or wristband designed with Alzheimer’s and associated types of dementia in thoughts might supply an appropriate stop-gap on the subject of location monitoring.
How do I select the fitting Alzheimer’s wearable tech?
Gadgets for GPS monitoring embrace attachables, bracelets and wristbands, shoe inserts and extra. When buying, learn the critiques and contemplate the next:
- Is the bracelet or wearable light-weight and comfy?
- Is the interface straightforward to make use of?
- Does it must be recharged incessantly?
- Does it include further helpful options?
Options of medical alert bracelets and different units for Alzheimer’s and dementia support
Alzheimer’s medical alert bracelets have totally different programs relying on the model, and will include totally different capabilities past simply GPS location monitoring. For instance, these wearables may embrace:
- Medical ID: The flexibility to retailer medical data to let healthcare suppliers or authorities know of an individual’s medical circumstances.
- Assist button: Essentially the most well-known forms of medical alert units have a button for seniors to name emergency companies after they’ve fallen and need assistance.
- Fall sensor: Since Alzheimer’s sufferers can have falls along with getting misplaced and wandering, contemplate one with an motion plan for falls.
- Perimeter alerts: A wandering or perimeter alarm can alert caretakers to when their liked one has left a sure space. Alert programs in the home can accomplish this identical operate.
As tech evolves, the choices for Alzheimer’s identification and monitoring wearables are evolving, too. Wearable units that serve a number of functions — resembling a sensible watch — might also facilitate health monitoring, texts and cellphone calls, and different companies on high of GPS location monitoring and medical data. This is perhaps a extra interesting possibility for an individual dwelling with Alzheimer’s over a straight-up medical alert button or medical ID bracelet.
