CHARLESTON COUNTY, SC (WCSC) -
It was a hot summer day when Valerie White's
father wandered out of a West Ashley store.
"I was trying on a pair of shoes for [my
son] and I reached down to check the sizing, and by the time I stood up --
which I'm telling you was only a moment, Dad had walked off," White says of her
father, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease.
The 77-year-old had walked close to two
miles down a busy road before he was noticed by a passer-by.
The Whites then enrolled him in Project Lifesaver
through the Charleston County Sheriff's Department. The program provides a tracking bracelet to
qualified applicants. The bracelet
consists of a transmitter that constantly emits a frequency. If a client wanders away, they can be located
by the sponsoring agency by pinpointing the transmitter.
"Sometimes, it takes hours to look for them
without the transmitter," Senior Sergeant Naomi Morris says. "Now with the transmitter, we're able to find
them within 30 minutes -- which makes a difference when you're talking about
the seriousness of the weather."
White's father has not wandered off since
enrolling in Project Lifesaver. But she
credits the program with allowing her father to maintain his independence at
home, instead of an assisted-living facility.
"We'd
like to think that he's in his home in a loving environment surrounded by
what's important to him," she says.
Project Lifesaver is an international
program. There are 13 agencies in South
Carolina that provide the service. To
find a participating agency, visit http://www.projectlifesaver.org/.
Applicants must be an "at-risk wanderer." Many clients have a diagnosis of Alzheimer's
disease, Down syndrome, autism or dementia.
Copyright
WCSC 2013. All rights reserved.
