November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and April is Autism Awareness Month. Alzheimer’s and autism have some similarities: they are both cognitive disabilities with a tendency to wander and the inability to find their way back home. According to the National Alzheimer’s Association, of the 5.3 million people with dementia 70% will wander throughout the course of their disability. A survey by the National Autism Association found that 92% of respondents said their autistic child was at risk of wandering. Not only does this cause additional stress for the spouses, parents, grandparents, and other caregivers, it limits the amount of independence these two groups are allowed to enjoy.
EmSeeQ Tracking Device
But with the aid of new technology, there is now a tracking device that will allow for some continuance of independence. EmFinders EmSeeQ (m-seek) is a high-tech tracking device, about the size of a watch, that is easily worn on the wrist. Once the signal is activated, cellular network technology used by 9-1-1 public safety access point dispatchers locates the exact location of a loved one who has wandered off. Usually within 20 minutes, the device’s location can be found by just making two phone calls. The first call goes to the local police to report the missing person. The second call goes to EmSeeQ who then remotely activates the device. Once a signal is received, the location is reported to the local police department and the missing loved one is returned home.
EmSeeQ Finds the Lost Quickly
There have been a number of occasions already when EmSeeQ has been used in finding lost persons. One was an 80-year-old California man with Alzheimer’s who was found in 20 minutes. The second was a nine-year-old boy in Spokane, WA, with autism who wanted to go to a friend’s house after school. Even though he was told he couldn’t go that day, he attempted to walk there on his own. He was found within 16 minutes and returned home unharmed. These two events are examples of how the EmSeeQ device saved caregivers and safety responders time and anguish by locating and saving both the man with Alzheimer’s and the boy with autism from what could have been tragic outcomes. Fortunately for many others who now wear the device, they have been safely found too – such as two California women just two weeks ago.
The Device
There are two styles – one can be removed by the wearer and other needs two people to remove it which lessens some of the caregiver’s concern. The cost is $199 and the monthly service fee is $25 a month. For more information and to see if EmSeeQ is available in your area, visit their website.
