The Nation's Most Effective Program in Locating and Rescuing
Alzheimer's Patients

Project Lifesaver
Providing Safety to Our Citizens

Project Lifesaver is a program established to assist with locating wandering persons with Alzheimer’s and other related Mental Dysfunction Disorders (ARMD), including Down’s Syndrome and Autism, who become lost.

Project Lifesaver is a non-profit organization, internationally recognized as an aggressive and proven program that saves lives. It is not a registry system. It is an active response to the problem of locating wandering patients before they fall victim to the elements or accidents.

Project Lifesaver relies on pulse-carrier wave radio frequency, complemented by a specially trained search-and-rescue team. Members wear a personalized bracelet that emits a constant tracking signal. Each wristband has a unique radio frequency enabling the search team to positively locate and identify a missing person.

Recovery time is cut from days to minutes. Nearly 400 individuals have been rescued since 1999 by Project Lifesaver teams.

The Stafford Sheriff’s Office is the first in the region to provide citizens with this new, high-tech tool in an effort to save lives.

“Project Lifesaver is a miracle for anyone who has wandered off and gone missing. It will help save lives, hours of search time, and bring peace of mind to our community,” said Sheriff Charles E. Jett.

How Project Lifesaver Works
A combination of radio technology and specially trained rescue teams from the local community, including law enforcement and public safety officials, are used to form an effective life-saving tool that has proven itself to be reliable, practical, and affordable.

The Stafford Sheriff’s Office has two tracking devices and 13 personnel who are specially trained for Project Lifesaver.

Individuals who are members of Project Lifesaver wear a personalized bracelet that emits a constant tracking signal enabling the search team to locate and identify them should they go missing.

When caregivers notify the Sheriff’s Office the person is missing, a search-and-rescue team responds and begins a search with the mobile locator tracking system. (Recently highlighted in ABC Television’s “Extreme Makeovers – Home Edition”).

Technology Emphasizes Relationships
Project Lifesaver focuses on relationships between team members and people who wander, before the need arises for a rescue. Team members are specially trained in the use of tracking equipment, and specific methods of communication with a person who has Alzheimer’s or ARMD. The Person who is located will be disoriented, anxious, and untrusting. Our Project Lifesaver team knows how to approach an individual, gain their trust, and put them at ease.

The Need
More than 4 million people in the United States have Alzheimer’s and that number will triple by 2050. More than 59% of these individuals will wander and become lost. Additionally, 72% of that 59% will wander repeatedly. Nearly half of those who wander and go missing will die if they are not located within 24-hours. Others will be injured or fall victim to predators.

Cost
The cost of the bracelet is $213.00, and there’s a monthly fee of $25.00 for the battery, which is monitored by our Crime Prevention Unit. A limited numbers of grants for financial assistance are available to those who qualify.

 ENROLLMENT

For more information, or for enrollment in the program, contact
the Stafford County Sheriff's Office Crime Prevention Unit
(P) 540-658-4428
Email crimeprevention@co.stafford.va.us

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PROJECT LIFESAVER
Visit their website at www.projectlifesaver.org

For information regarding Medicare and Project Lifesaver, click here to download the brochure titled: Clearing Up the Confusion Between Medicare Supplements and Medicare Advantage Plans.