TRIB TOTAL MEDIA SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2019 · 3
The thought of a loved one with memory problems wandering off, is a scary proposition for caregivers and family members.
PROJECT LIFESAVER HELPS
FIND THOSE WHO WANDER OFF
Allegheny County program can dramatically decrease rescuers’ search times
Of the many possibilities that can come
with caring for someone with dementia,
Alzheimer’s, autism, Down’s syndrome,
PTSD or other special needs, one particu-larly
frightening one is that the person
could wander off alone and become lost.
It’s a very real fear among caregivers of
loved ones with a tendency to leave the
house. While such stories often end well,
they do occasionally end in tragedy.
In Allegheny County, however, a free
program called Project Lifesaver helps to
make that prospect a little less scary and
give families a better chance at a happy
ending.
“We’ve used it close to a dozen times in
the last five years,” said Munhall police
officer Jimmy Williams, who spearheaded
bringing the program to Allegheny Coun-ty.
“Sometimes they’re found before we get
there, but the other times we’ve been able
to locate them. It’s been very good.”
The program works through the use of a
device that resembles a small wristwatch
and transmits a unique radio frequency
which officers can then track using a re-ceiver.
The first step is to enroll in the program.
In order to be a candidate, an individual
has to have a tendency to wander away
from home. The person must live at the
residence on a full-time basis, have a care-giver
present 24 hours a day, seven days
per week and can not drive a vehicle. Indi-viduals
in nursing homes or group homes
are not eligible.
Assistant district attorney Angela Kelley
is the administrator of the program and
said that anyone who thinks they might
have a candidate should call her.
“The worst thing I’m going to do is say
TECHNOLOGY IN SAFETY
STOCK.ADOBE.COM
BY KAREN PRICE
FOR TRIB TOTAL MEDIA