Recently the Alzheimer's Association came out with a product that will bring freedom to the more than five million Americans who have Alzheimer's. It will also bring peace of mind to the caregivers of Alzheimer's patients. Alzheimer's is a degenerative brain disease that causes memory loss. Therefore, caregivers are burdened with the responsibility of constantly looking after the Alzheimer's patient, for fear that person will wander off and not remember where, or even who, they are.
But this new device allows the Alzheimer's patient to be left alone, even go outside on their own. This is possible because in a sense, they're not alone. Someone is keeping tabs on them and can find them at a moment's notice.
It's called "Comfort Zone." Aptly named, because it calls for the caregiver to pinpoint just that: a zone in which the patient can move about freely. But if the patient goes outside that zone, the caregiver is alerted, and if needed, the patient can be located with the device's tracking system.
One of the qualities of "Comfort Zone" is that the zone can be changed and re-set as often as the caregiver likes. For example, in the early stages of the disease it might make sense to set the zone larger, say a five-mile radius from the home. But later, that zone can be reduced to say, just a block's radius from home. The zone is set on the caregiver's personal computer. The patient needs to wear the tracking device. If the patient goes outside the zone, the caregiver is alerted via computer alarm as well as a text-message, which is great if the caregiver isn't near a computer. If the caregiver needs assistance finding the patient who has wandered outside the pre-determined zone, the tracking device can identify exactly where the person is.
Another plus: caregivers don't even need to be near the patient to take advantage of "Comfort Zone." Family members thousands of miles away can set zones and recieve alerts if the patients goes outside the zone.
People who care for Alzheimer's patients need time away from that patient to attend to other family members and oftentimes work. Leaving an Alzheimer's patient alone can be enormously distressing due to fears the patient will wander away and get lost. "Comfort Zone" allows caregivers to get their necessary breaks without having to worry so much.
The device is also great for the patients, particularly those in the early stages of Alzheimer's who still enjoy a recollection of where they are and appreciate the freedom of moving about independantly.