There is a vital resource for families with persons who are suffering from dementia. It is an attachment that can assist searchers in locating the missing person. The lead agency is the SLO Sheriff's Department, assisted with financing by the SLO Lions Club. Anyone interested in information or in getting started with the program should call the Sheriff's Watch Commander at 781-4553 or the Project Lifesaver Answering Services at 548-0909 or 877-548-0606 (toll free).
The system will initially cost the client $150. This covers a $100 refundable deposit on the equipment and the first and last month service fee. The service fee is $25 a month and covers the cost of removing the equipment, changing the battery and placing the transmitter back on the client with a new wrist or ankle strap. If the client has a verifiable financial need, this service will be provided at no cost.
The transmitter uses a radio frequency (GPS is not reliable enough). Each client has his or her own radio frequency, which is kept on file at the Sheriff's Department and with the Sheriff's Search & Rescue (SAR) Unit. If the person becomes lost, SAR responds with their receiving units, dials in the frequency and starts looking for the signal.
The unit is on either a wrist or ankle strap and is locked on so it cannot be removed unless it is cut off. The unit is waterproof so the client can continue their daily routine of bathing, washing dishes, or even swimming.
With the antennas that SAR uses they obtain a two to three-mile range for picking up the transmissions. This is with both the magnet-mounted antennas they use on their vehicles and the handheld antennas they use when they are on foot. The antenna SAR has for use in helicopters has a range of 5 - 7 miles. The signal can be picked up even if the person is in a building or in vegetation.
SAR placed its first transmitter in San Luis Obispo County service in February 2004. Project Lifesaver itself started in 1999 in Virginia and is now in at least 42 states. SLO County was the 4th county in the State of California to get the system. There are now around 14 other areas in the state with the project (some are counties and some are cities).
In the U.S. since 1999, there have been over 1,400 successful searches for individuals on Project Lifesaver. When the Sheriff's Watch Commander or Project Lifesaver is called, a SAR liaison is notified and they contact the missing person's responsible person. The search begins there.
A SAR representative will make a presentation to any service organization, church group or other group who would like more information on this valuable service. The biggest obstacle is getting the word out and letting people know this project is available in our community. In SLO County, there are 6,000 people with known cases of Alzheimer's and there are only 20 presently on the system. The project is not just focused on those with Alzheimer's, but anything that would cause a person to have an altered mental state making them vulnerable to getting disoriented and becoming lost. This could include any form of dementia, autism, Down syndrome, or brain damage. There are two autistic children on the program at this time.
