Montgomery County Using Trackers to Cut Down on People With Dementia Leaving Home

First responders in Montgomery County, Ky., are using trackers on people with Alzheimer's, dementia, and autism to recover them if they wander off, reports WKYT News . "It's similar to LoJack that police would use to find a stolen vehicle several years ago," said Montgomery County Battalion Chief Jeffery Jackson. "So it emits a constant beep." People can be found within 20 to 30 minutes with the trackers, which are similar to watches, worn around the wrist and hard to take off without cutting them. Most healthy adults can walk about three or four minutes an hour, while many with handicaps walk about two miles an hour. However, Jackson said when the missing person's direction is unknown, that two miles becomes a 16-mile radius. "Sixteen square miles is a lot to cover, especially when we get in a rural area where there's a lot of woods, trees, streams where someone can hunker down and hide," he noted. The trackers cost about $300 per unit, and the Montgomery County fire department can loan one out for residents if one is available.