GPS Help for the Wanderers

Every day, somewhere in this country or around the world, law enforcement and rescue operations are called upon to look for an elderly or mentally impaired adult who has wandered away from home. Society has tracking devices for pets, children, and even personal possessions, but what about the elderly and infirm? Who is looking out for them? Andrew Carle, an assistant professor at George Mason University, has long seen the need to tap into the vast world of GPS technology on behalf of the elderly. His work as a consultant on senior housing issues has made him more than aware of the need; it has given him his life’s work, which he calls “Nana technology.”

The Increasing Need

It is estimated that there are more than five million people in America alone who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is expected to triple by 2050. What is even more startling is that research shows that approximately 60% of Alzheimer’s patients will wander away from home or a caregiver at least once during the course of their disease with some estimates reaching as high as 70% and the average incident rate per person as high as 6-8 times. Such wanderings result in approximately 125,000 search and rescue operations for Alzheimer’s patients each year, and these figures do not begin to cover other forms of dementia, cognitive deficits, or memory loss. Tragically, statistics also show that nearly 50% of wanderers not found within 24 hours will not survive their wandering, which is why it is so important to find a solution.

The Failing Programs

Authorities have long struggled with the problem of what to do when it comes to wanderers. Lives are at stake, but time and resources are limited. Several years ago, the International Association of Chiefs of Police sought to provide police departments better training in cases involving dementia patients by launching an Alzheimer’s initiative, but training can go only so far. Programs such as Project Lifesaver and Comfort Zone are bridging the gap but they too fall short on a couple key points.

• Project Lifesaver is a low-cost system that uses bracelets with radio-tracking technology; however, the device requires the searcher to be within 400 yards of the object before getting a signal. The system relies on law enforcement making regular visits to the wearers to check and change batteries. Also, the device is in the form of a bracelet, which many dementia patients do not like to wear or can easily remove.


• The Comfort Zone GPS system is sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago. The device does use GPS technology but in a cell phone-sized device that the user is to keep in his or her pocket. Again, such a device is easily lost or forgotten.

There are many other programs and devices out there, but few of them take into consideration the unique needs of the elderly or mentally challenged. That is why Andrew Carle is so passionate about the GPS-enabled shoe.

The Amazing Shoe

In 2007, Carle came across his first pair of shoes embedded with a GPS tracking device. These shoes were designed with children of anxious parents in mind. Carle immediately thought about using the same technology to create shoes for the elderly and others with cognitive impairments. He then met with the head of GTX, Patrick Bertagna, the shoe’s manufacturer and got them onboard. In fact, Bertagna, when confronted with the very real need, said that it “shifted our entire focus to people with cognitive memory disorders, traumatic brain injuries, athletes, children with autism.” Bertagna himself first pursued GPS-enabled shoes in 2002 after the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart. So, in 2011, GTX launched its first GPS shoes for those with mental disorders; and in 2012, it made one Swedish science museum’s list of “Top 100 Innovations of Mankind,” right up there with the telephone and the Internet. The shoe’s many features make it an ideal solution for the wanderers of society.

• Smartphone compatibility: A caregiver simply calls the shoes, and the shoes “call back” by sending a Google map of the wearer’s exact location.


• Geofence perimeter: Caregivers can set a virtual fence for their loved ones so that they still have freedom to take walks but will trigger an alert if they cross out of their designated area.


• Transferable technology: GTX is now preparing to release its GPS-enabled insoles, dubbed the “Smart Soles,” so that the technology can be moved from one pair of shoes to another.

As our society ages, it is vital that we find creative and effective caregiving strategies to protect the life and health of these loved ones. Advances in GPS technology now make that possible with a simple pair of shoes, an everyday item that everyone wears. Even the most mentally infirm know to put their shoes on before they go out for a walk. “By using shoes,” Carle says, “we’ve maximized the chance the technology is there when we need it. They don’t even know it’s in there.”

GPS Help for the Wanderers