By forming partnerships with local law enforcement and public safety organizations, Project Lifesaver deploys specially trained teams with the most reliable technology available to quickly locate and return wandering adults and children to their families and caregivers.

Over 5,000,000 people in the USA have Alzheimer’s. That number will triple by 2050.  Well over 50% of these people wander and become lost.  A lost person with Alzheimer’s or other dementia represents a critical emergency. They are unaware of their situation, they do not call out for help and do not respond to people calling out to them. Nearly half of them will die and many can become injured or fall victim to predators if they are not located within 24 hours.  The number of people, families and communities experiencing this risk will grow dramatically in the next few years.
 

If you are not yet touched in some way by Alzheimer’s or a related disorder, chances are you will be within the next several years.  You will find it among neighbors, your friends, co-workers and their families, and perhaps within your own family.  

 Project Lifesaver, a non-profit organization, has become internationally recognized as an aggressive and proven program that saves lives.  By the end of 2003, Project Lifesaver will be operating in over 33 States and at least three countries. It is an active response to the problem of locating wandering patients before they fall victim to the elements, accidents, or predators.

How Project Lifesaver Works

Project Lifesaver relies on proven radio technology and a specially trained search and rescue team.  Clients that are enrolled in  the Project Lifesaver program wear a personalized wristband that emits a tracking signal.  When caregivers notify the local Project Lifesaver agency that the person is missing, a search and rescue team responds to the wanderer's area and starts searching with the mobile locater tracking system.  Search times have been reduced from hours and days to minutes. In over 1000 searches, there have been no reported serious injuries or deaths. Recovery times average less than 30 minutes.  

Project Lifesaver is not a registry program

The Project Lifesaver bracelet is much more than a passive ID bracelet.  It is a one-ounce battery-operated radio wrist transmitter emitting an automatic tracking signal every second, 24 hours a day.  The signal is tracked on the ground or in the air over several miles.  As each bracelet has a unique radio frequency, the Project Lifesaver search team positively locates and identifies the person who has wandered away from home or a care facility.

Leading the Way with Rapid Response and Reliable Equipment

Project Lifesaver is an innovative solution to the wandering issues surrounding Alzheimer's disease, Prior to the Project Lifesaver program, there was not an effective search program that helped to locate missing Alzheimer's patients The only program that was available to deal with the problem was simply a registry program, whereas the patient wore a bracelet with a 1-800 number on it. The problem with that program was the patient had to be found before it could attempt to get them returned to their families. Many searches across the country often ended sadly because the person could not be located in time. The difference in a registry program and Project Lifesaver is we are an active search participant, we go out and search for the loved one and bring them home. Project Lifesaver trains, equips and deploys law enforcement and public safety agencies to rapidly locate wandering people and bring them home.  Project Lifesaver’s radio frequency equipment is the most reliable and practical technology available in locating the missing and wandering. Our assessment of Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment is that in an emergency search situation, it is less durable, the battery has to be changed too frequently, it is bulky to be worn, can fail in bad weather, and it’s signal is often undetected indoors, under trees, and in any area that blocks sunlight. Another major reliability factor is the power source(s). GPS detection and notification systems for the wandering individual rely on AC power while their personal GPS equipment relies on batteries that last hours or 1-2 days. The Project Lifesaver battery provides a continuous signal for 30-45 days.
 

Technology is Only Half the Story

Project Lifesaver is about people and partnerships. The focus is on communities where law enforcement, civic groups, local business and caregivers join in developing and strengthening all aspects of the program including rescues, education and especially fundraising so that families in financial need can have the protection, and peace of mind.  

Project Lifesaver teams are specially trained, not only in search and rescue and the use of the electronic tracking equipment, but also in the methods necessary to communicate with a person who has Alzheimer’s disease or related disorder. Locating the individual is only part of the mission.  The person who is located will be disoriented, anxious, and untrusting. The Project Lifesaver team knows how to approach the person, gain their trust and put them at ease for the trip home. 
 

How Project Lifesaver Saves Lives and Community Resources

In Pittsylvania County, Virginia, a 45 year-old man suffering from a traumatic brain injury became lost and disoriented.  A deputy sheriff specially trained and equipped by Project Lifesaver was able to locate the man 1.5 miles from his home within 20 minutes. A traditional search without Project Lifesaver would have normally involved the time (and expense to the taxpayers) of up to 264 searchers and 924 man-hours. 

 

In Chatham, Virginia an 80 year-old woman with Alzheimer’s disease wandered from her home at night. The family contacted Project Lifesaver upon learning she was missing. Two Sheriff’s vehicles equipped with Project Lifesaver equipment arrived on the scene and located the woman laying in a tobacco field.  She had wandered into the field, fell, and could not get up. She was found covered with mud. Rescuers reported that a person standing up to 10 ft away would not have noticed that a person was laying there. The helpless woman could have died if not located by Project Lifesaver.

A 79 year-old man with Alzheimer’s left his house in Chesapeake, Virginia driving his truck and could not find his way back home. After searching the neighborhood, a police helicopter was called in with a Project Lifesaver team and equipment.  In just 35 minutes, the helicopter located the man using the signal transmitted from his bracelet. He was found 14 miles from his home. Before joining Project Lifesaver, he wandered off and was missing 21/2 days.

Statistics        

1,162  Rescues across the Nation

100% Success Rate

Average time of rescue: less than 30 minutes !

History 

Established in April 1999 as an initiative of the 43rd Virginia Search and Rescue Company of the Chesapeake, Virginia Sheriff’s Office, Project Lifesaver is built on the work of the Stokes County (NC) Mountain Rescue program which pioneered the use of special equipment and procedures to locate lost and wandering patients with mental disorders. Amid the dramatic increase of people with Alzheimer’s, Down Syndrome, and Autism, Project Lifesaver has become one of the leading organizations addressing the need to protect these patients and bring comfort to their families and caregivers.