March 19--ATHENS -- Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely and his deputies once spent hours looking for an Alzheimer's sufferer who had wandered out of his home at night.
The man was wearing only pajamas in the freezing cold and became ill as a result.
Now, the Sheriff's Department has secured funding for a program that could help deputies find lost Alzheimer's and dementia patients in minutes instead of hours. It also can track a lost autistic child.
How it works
Project Lifesaver equips enrolled patients with a waterproof, signal-emitting bracelet that can be tracked from a one-mile radius on the ground with handheld monitors and from five to seven miles from the air. Blakely said patients usually can be located in a half-hour.
"We've been trying to implement this for the past couple of years," Blakely said.
Deputies were trained with program field monitors in late February in a two-day training course.
Residents enrolled in the program pay a $10 monthly fee.
Anyone who can't pay won't be turned away, Blakely said.
"It's a little less than what it costs to actually run the program," he said.
Blakely said 38 counties, including numerous sheriff's agencies, use Project Lifesaver. The program has been involved in about 2,500 successful rescues nationwide.
The startup cost is about $5,000, paid largely through TRIAD, a local group that connects seniors with law enforcement.
"I think it sounds like a great thing," Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks said. "They could save some lives."
Raising funds
The Limestone County TRIAD Trail Ride is April 22 at Elkmont Rural Village Stables to raise money for the organization.
Gate prices are $15 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under, and $5 for non-riders. The price includes a barbecue chicken meal and a trail ride on horseback that starts at 2 p.m. The gates open at 11 a.m.
How to register
To register for Project Lifesaver, call the Sheriff's Department at 256-232-0111.
Copyright 2012 - The Decatur Daily, Ala.
