South Yorkshire Police have made our first sign-up in our trial to provide free GPS trackers to people living with dementia.
You may remember Rik, 62, who was reported missing from Rother Valley Country Park earlier this month.
Keen runner Rik, who has dementia, became separated from his wife while running a virtual marathon in the park on Sunday 3 October.
After extensive searches, particularly along the Trans-Pennine Trail, he was found by a member of the public in Beighton shortly before 8.30am on Tuesday 5 October.
Police Search Advisor, PC John Porter said: “Rik’s disappearance presented numerous challenges for us. Rik being relatively young and very physically fit meant that by the time he was reported missing there were a number of locations he could have travelled to. He also wasn’t carrying any electrical devices so we couldn’t track his movements.
“Due to his condition, Rik wouldn’t have necessarily responded if someone saw him or called his name. He’d be frightened and confused, and his go-to response in that scenario would be to hide. We were heavily reliant on the number of resources from police and other agencies, and also the public reporting sightings.”
Our GPS trial is the first of its kind, and will allow families of people with dementia to have peace of mind and safeguard their loved ones.
Rik’s wife Linda said: “I have been overwhelmed at the amount of help and support I have received from South Yorkshire Police. We are more than happy to support with the GPS trial; not only will it be a massive benefit for Rik, but it’ll remove a great deal of anxiety for me.”
The trackers will only be provided to family members, like Linda, with power of attorney over their loved one. The information recorded will only be available to police once they have authorised it.
The GPS devices are waterproof, and will be available as either a necklace or a keyring, designed to be discreet and comfortable.
The recipients will also receive a year’s subscription to the software needed to monitor the location of the device.
The app will allow users to ‘geo-fence’ known locations and will send alerts if the device owner makes an unfamiliar journey, to ensure they do not become lost.
The initial trial will run for 12 months and see 50 people receive the devices. If it’s a success, this will become a permanent scheme and introduced across other police forces.
PC Porter continued: “If you know someone who could benefit from the scheme, please email us for more information. We have high hopes that this will improve the lives of people living with dementia, and their loved ones.”