Guelph police say officers were able to quickly locate a missing 88-year-old man with dementia on Tuesday morning thanks to the Project Lifesaver device he was wearing.
The man was reported missing from a nursing home at Gordon Street and Clairfields Drive at around 6:15 a.m.
Police said the Project Lifesaver equipment managed to pick up a signal from the man’s battery-operated device and he was located at 6:50 a.m. near Gordon Street and Poppy Drive.
He did not require medical attention and was returned to the nursing home.
The Project Lifesaver program is run through Victim Services Wellington and participants wear a bracelet that sends an FM radio signal 24 hours a day.
Police said the program has a 100 per cent find rate and on average it takes about 30 minutes to find someone wearing a bracelet.
“Project Lifesaver does not replace the position of a caregiver, but it is a tool that can save lives and reduce stress felt by family members,” police said in a post on their website.
More information can be found here.