TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The Alzheimer's Project works to ensure those suffering from autism, dementia or Alzheimer's get the care and supplies they need.
A new grant from The Pilot Club of Tallahassee will help the organization purchase and maintain new supplies.
The grant will be used to buy Project Lifesaver bracelets, a GPS tracking system that gives caregivers an important tool. They need to know where the patient is at all times and this bracelet alerts them if someone has wandered off.
CEO of The Alzheimer's Project, Debbie Moroney, says, if a missing person is not found within 24 hours of their disappearance, the chances of survival fall to 50 percent.
With the new Project Lifesaver bracelets, recovery time is usually around 30 minutes.
"It really depends on the individual. Not every Alzheimer's patient is going to wander, nor is every child with autism going to wander," said Debbie Moroney, the CEO of the Alzheimer's Project. "So, we really have to look at their history, what their behavior has looked like, and then make a determination if they need a bracelet or not."
If someone in the Project Lifesaver Program gets lost, their caregiver calls the Leon County Sheriff's Office and they are able to quickly locate the Alzheimer's or autism patient.
Moroney says, caregivers of patients who tend to wander rely on these bracelets.... and the organization wouldn't have been able to get them without the Pilot Club of Tallahassee's grant.
