A GPS tracker is a device that provides real-time location tracking via satellite data. In the context of an older adult with a form of cognitive impairment, a GPS tracker can give caregivers, family members or emergency responders quick access to the user’s live location.
“GPS trackers are useful tools for individuals with cognitive impairment and forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease, and who are prone to wandering,” says Lakelyn Eichenberger, Ph.D., a gerontologist and caregiving advocate at Home Instead, a network of in-home senior care providers.
For example, people in the earlier stages of dementia may benefit from having a GPS tracker in their wallet or purse just in case they get disoriented while driving or lost on a walk, she says. Many GPS trackers can also be programmed to alert family members or caregivers if a person leaves a specific area, such as the house or the yard. Before deciding to use a GPS tracker, the person living with dementia should give their consent.
Older adults with Alzheimer’s or dementia—or anyone at a higher risk for wandering—may benefit from having a GPS tracker, says Lisa Grod, Ph.D., a gerontologist based in California. “These individuals may demonstrate sundowning in the late afternoon or early evening and become more confused and agitated or feel an urgency to ‘go home,’ ‘go shopping’ or go outside and walk,” she explains.
In addition to older adults with dementia, GPS trackers offer a helpful way to monitor children, people with intellectual disabilities or anyone else whose personal safety is at risk from getting lost or injured, says Bruce Bassi, M.D., a Texas-based psychiatrist.
GPS trackers are often wearable and portable, though Eichenberger says they may come as a token-sized device that can be placed in a wallet, purse or pocket and connected to a smartphone app.
Medical alert systems with GPS trackers doubly benefit older adults who are prone to falling and wandering, says Eichenberger.
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