New Sensors Help Patients With Dementia Avoid Getting Lost
New technology can help prevent patients with dementia from getting lost when they start to wander. (CC0 Public Domain/Pixabay) By Christina Farr SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 Like most patients with dementia, Ray Ciancaglini has good days and bad days. On his worst days, Ciancaglini, a retired boxer, might wander off in the dead of winter from his home in Finger Lakes, New York, without notifying his wife Patty. Occasionally, he’ll walk for miles and forget his home address. Six out of ten people with dementia will wander, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. The Association found that about 50 percent of people who wander will suffer serious injury or death if they are not found within 24 hours. Ciancaglini recently started wearing new GPS-tracking shoe inserts called SmartSole, which fit inside his favorite pair of shoes. The insoles connect to a website and mobile app that his wife can access at any time. […]