Following the successful roll-out of dementia wristbands by Avon and Somerset Police, Wessex Water and Bristol Water have funded 30 GPS tracking devices which will be offered to people living with dementia who are at risk of going missing.

The trackers will be allocated to those considered most at risk of becoming a missing person as part of the Dementia Safeguard Scheme, which enables families and carers to provide information to help identify a vulnerable person if they go missing.

The new GPS trackers follow a highly successful roll-out of electronic devices such as wristbands, lanyards and hand tags which use Near Field Communication (NFC) to store information about the wearer. The devices can be scanned by emergency services to help return the wearer to safety if they are found wandering.

More than 1,600 assistance devices have already been allocated, with a further 1,000 being made available thanks to an additional £2,000 donation our company has contributed towards, along with Bristol Water and Western Power Distribution.

Sgt Stuart King, who runs the Dementia Safeguarding Scheme on a voluntary basis, said: “I’m delighted to be able to announce the launch of this much-needed addition to our safeguarding scheme and would like to thank our external partners for contributing the necessary funding to make it possible.

“Wearable devices are not a substitute for good care, but when a vulnerable person is reported missing every minute counts and that is where modern technology can make a crucial difference. I’d strongly encourage anyone caring for a person living with dementia to look into GPS tracking devices if they can.” You can find out more here.