Aging and Disability Network Meeting 10/9/18
Attendees: Judy
Dahoda Taylor (Saratoga County Office for the Aging), Erin Denison (Mechanicville
Area Community Services Center), Kelley Brown (MACSC), Karin Drosdick (MACSC),
Jess Flynn (Eddy Daybreak Adult Day Services), Shannon Lawler (Alzheimer’s
Association), Katie Keary (Alzheimer’s Association), Chris Camburn (Jem, Inc-
Section 8), Natalie Turner (Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease), Jane
Kerr Sussman (Saratoga Senior Center), JoAnn Zales (National Grid), Cheryl
Lawyer (Northeastern Association of the Blind), Clive Lawyer (NABA), Maria
Geizer (Home Instead), Keith Kerchhoff (Saratoga County DSS), Sharon Emerson
(CHOICES at St. Peter’s), Tena Bunnell (Home Helpers), Kym Hance (Herzog Law
Firm), Kaitlin Trimboli (Saratoga Hospital), Rachael Pflieger (SAIL), Amy
Ponessa (Saratoga Hospital), Jason Lang (Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office).
Announcements:
The next Aging and Disability Meeting will be held on Tuesday November 13th
from 2-330pm at St. Edward’s Church in Clifton Park. Cheryl Lawyer from NABA
will be presenting “What is a Service Dog/ What is NOT a Service Dog.”
Today’s Presenter and
Topic: Deputy Jason Lang of the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office – an overview
of the Project Lifesaver Program.
The mission of the
Project Lifesaver Program is to target at-risk individuals that are at risk
of wandering due to Alzheimer’s or some form of developmental disability such
as autism or Down Syndrome.
The program uses a transmitter tracking device which is worn
on the individual’s wrist or ankle to aid in the search efforts for that
individual. The Sheriff’s Office has a receiver that is able to pick up the
frequency from the tracking device.
Benefits and
Limitations:
While Project Lifesaver is an excellent resource to assist
in locating an individual who wanders, it is not a guarantee, and not a
substitution for constant supervision.
The client must have a caretaker who is able to contact 911
in the event the client goes missing. The transmitter has a range of
approximately 1 mile in ideal conditions, so the call should be made as soon as
possible. The transmitter is intended to be used to locate clients on foot. It
will not be effective for someone who has access to a vehicle.
GPS products are available and sometimes used in conjunction
with Project Lifesaver transmitters. At this time, GPS bands must be removed
for charging every day, leaving a window of opportunity open for someone to
wander without it on. Project Lifesaver transmitter batteries last for 2 months
without needing to be removed until the battery change.
The Project Lifesaver transmitter is waterproof and can be
worn in showers or while swimming.
If a loved one was to go missing the average search time
once the receiver gets on scene is 30 minutes. This is 95% less time than
traditional search methods.
Project Lifesaver
History:
Project Lifesaver Program is a no-profit organization that
originally started in Chesapeake Virginia in 1999. It now has more than 1100
participating agencies spanning across the US, Canada and Australia. The Saratoga
County Sheriff’s Office began participating in the Project Lifesaver Program in
2015.
For more information,
contact Deputy Lang at 518-944-6288 or jlang@saratogacountyny.gov
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