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4 Honest Benefits of GPS Trackers for Patients With Dementia
4 Honest Benefits of GPS Trackers for Patients With Dementia
GPS trackers have numerous benefits for patients living with dementia, such as:
- Allowing them to keep their independence for longer
- Helping you quickly locate them if they wander
- Improving their confidence and general quality of life
GPS trackers give you peace of mind, but there’s no point in buying one if your loved one won’t wear it.
Most GPS devices only come in a single colour and have stigmatising designs that make your loved ones look and feel old. However, we’ve designed our devices to be stylish and blend in with the wearer’s look.
For example, our keyring GPS tracker comes in multiple colours and can be worn as a bag clip, necklace, or lanyard.
It’s a beautiful accessory that your loved one won’t feel embarrassed about wearing.
It’s also lightweight, discrete, and has excellent tracking features to help you keep your loved one living with dementia safe.
1 - Maintain Their Independence
A 2015 Norwegian study that assessed the uses of GPS trackers for individuals with dementia concluded that:
- Participants with mild dementia appreciated their freedom to continue their outdoor activities, thanks to GPS trackers.
- Patients with dementia viewed GPS devices as less intrusive than physical or chemical restraints.
GPS trackers can prolong the freedom of your loved ones and allow them to go outdoors, meet up with their friends, or go shopping on their own. These activities directly relate to your loved one’s dignity, self-confidence, and sense of purpose.
We compiled the table below to give you an idea of how long your loved ones can expect to use GPS trackers.
| How Long Dementia Patients Used GPS Trackers | Percentage (Out of 208 Patients) |
| Up to a year | 50% |
| Up to 2 years | 23% |
| More than 2 years | 12% |
You’ll be happy to know that many patients living with dementia will agree to wear tracking devices to feel more confident, independent, and to reassure their loved ones.
2 - Keep Them Safe
TechSilver’s GPS trackers can help keep your loved one’s safe via their geofencing capabilities, active tracking properties, and additional features, including:
- Location History: You can view up to 3 months of location history with our tracker and discover the movement patterns of your loved one. It’s helpful to know where they’ve been, so you know where to start looking if they go missing.
- Tracking App: Check where your loved one is at any time using our iOS/Android tracking app.
- Long Battery Life: The battery in our keyring tracker can last for more than 5 days.
We also provide easy-to-follow set-up videos and have a reliable service team that’s available 7 days a week to answer all of your questions.
“Excellent product and customer service. Always someone at hand to offer support and clarify any doubts. Can’t recommend enough!”
— Luiza R, UK
If you’re worried about your loved one forgetting, damaging, or losing their tracker:
- Take advantage of their habits: If they like to wear a watch, a necklace, or a bracelet, get them a tracker that looks like their favourite jewellery or accessory.
- Introduce the tracker as soon as possible: Discuss the possibility of wandering after the diagnosis of dementia and get a tracker for your loved one as soon as possible, so that they can develop the habit of wearing it.
- Install a locking clasp: This makes it impossible, or at least difficult, for a person with dementia to take off the tracker.
- Track items they are least likely to forget: You can install TechSilver’s GPS-enabled tracker insoles into their shoes because they’re easy to fit, unobstructive, and water-resistant.
- Buy versatile and discrete products: Our keyring tracker can also be worn as a necklace or lanyard, and it comes in a range of colours to match different outfits.
- Buy a waterproof tracker: Our newest tracker is waterproof and dust-resistant, so it’s less likely to be damaged if your loved one goes out in rough weather.
Expert Tip: If your loved ones with dementia wander (with or without their tracker), it’s always wise if you know how to help.
3 - Reduce Search Time
Scheduling early evening activities that are familiar and calming, such as reading or taking a walk, can help prevent restless behaviour at night.
The right evening activity can also help your loved ones expend any excess energy, so that they’re more likely to sleep through the night. However, avoid over stimulating activities, such as watching a movie or going to a crowded restaurant in the hours just before bed.
It may also help to provide a nightlight and leave a lamp on in their room or hallway. This can offer reassurance and make it easier for your loved one to find their way back to bed.
Verbal reassurance can also be helpful. For instance, you might say something like, “I’ll be right back,” or “I’ll check on you in a few minutes.”
Before GPS trackers, caregivers had to organise search parties and perhaps even involve the police or rescue services whenever a loved one wandered. Today, most GPS trackers provide you with a website you can use to track your loved ones. However, websites aren’t always mobile-friendly or as easy to access as phone apps.
With GPS trackers from TechSilver, you can use our tracking app to find a wandering loved one in the shortest time possible.
- Our app is supported on both iOS and Android
- It allows you to track your loved ones from anywhere
- There’s no limit to the number of users that can enter the app at once
You’ll also find that some trackers only work by alerting a call centre, which then notifies you of the emergency.
TechSilver eliminates the need for a third-party monitoring centre. When pressed, the SOS button on our trackers will send a notification to you and trigger a phone call in seconds. The device will automatically answer, and you can reassure your loved ones that you’re keeping an eye on them and that help is on the way.
Finally, our GPS devices have very accurate tracking systems that make the search process much easier for you. In case your loved one wanders, you can be sure that you’ll find them in the exact location indicated on our tracking app.
“Bought the GPS key ring for my mother. So far it’s been very accurate… and the customer service was great.”
— Karen T, UK
4 - Improve Their Quality of Life
Wandering among people living with dementia can be a key factor in necessitating transfer to a 24-hour care facility that imposes strict restrictions on their movements.
However, the freedom of going outdoors keeps your loved ones exercised and socially active. Moving around can also help them reduce restlessness, anxiety, and boredom.
A 2019 study published in Research Gate observed the following responses on the effect of GPS trackers on patients living with dementia:
- Wearing a GPS tracker increased the frequency of independent outdoor activities among patients living with dementia.
- People living with dementia experience a greater sense of freedom when wearing a GPS tracker.
With more freedom to move around, your loved ones can maintain their normal routine for longer. They’ll go outside with confidence, knowing that you can instantly track them in case of an emergency.
While GPS trackers can’t protect your loved ones living with dementia from dangers such as traffic and bad weather, they can help you find them faster and mitigate the risk of harm from wandering.
GPS trackers will also help to reduce your anxiety as a caregiver, improving your quality of life.
Keep Your Peace of Mind With GPS Trackers
GPS trackers are the way to go to keep your loved ones at home for longer and ensure they maintain their autonomy and confidence. Features such as active tracking and geofencing will also help you ensure their safety and keep your peace of mind.
However, with so many GPS trackers for dementia patients, it’s important that you pick a stylish, discrete, and versatile tracker that won’t stigmatise the wearer.
TechSilver’s team is available 7 days a week to help you provide the best care for your loved ones living with dementia.
Hi, I'm Miles
I’m the founder of TechSilver, the world’s leading assistive tech specialists. My team has made these resources to help people care for their loved ones, so we hope we can help you today!
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Waterproof Dementia Tracker GPS Keyring w/ Extra-Long Battery Life
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Dementia Tracker GPS Keyring/Necklace
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