Helping find lost Alzheimer146;s patients

A mini-industry of technologies promises to find lost Alzheimer8217;s patients by using simple battery-operated radiowave beacons to sophisticated GPS devices.

8220;These technologies need to be evaluated to determine which systems work best in different environments,8221; said Majd Alwan, Director of the Center for Aging Services Technologies, a coalition of government, universities and high-tech companies.

Where the patient lives needs to be considered, added Henry Kautz of the University of Rochester, who is helping develop the next-generation systems. For example, accuracy of GPS devices depends upon access to satellites powering the navigation tool, which can be difficult in a large city.

In assisted-living facilities, radiofrequency 8216;tags8217; are common. Patients wear a sensor read by receivers on doors that sound an alarm when someone strolls too far. Then there8217;s the more traditional beacon like Melnick8217;s, which emits a signal for rescue workers to hunt. 8220;That kind of technology is the most flexible, because it doesn8217;t require GPS. But it doesn8217;t work if you don8217;t notice the person is gone,8221; Kautz said.

Whatever the transmitter, the question is how to ensure that the patient doesn8217;t wander off without it. Some systems require carrying cell phones; others come in hard-to-remove jewellery; one company sells sneakers implanted with a GPS chip.

Stay tuned: Kautz says next-generation sensors promise to help dementia patients help themselves, guiding those with early-stage Alzheimer8217;s on city buses or reminding later-stage patients how to wash their hands.