By Adam Swift
A new Winthrop Health Department program will help provide security and peace of mind when it comes to the elderly and others at risk of wandering away from their caregivers.
At last week’s town council meeting, health director Meredith Hurley gave a presentation on the SafetyNet bracelet tracking program.
Hurley said the department has been working on the program for about 18 months, and thanked disabilities commission member John Morgan for helping to push for the program in Winthrop. She said the SafetyNet program, which will be funded through money the council appropriated to the disabilities commission, is very close to being launched.
“The program is really for anybody who is at risk of wandering,” said Hurley. “It really started as an initiative for elders with Alzheimer’s, dementia, cognitive decline. This a program that has been launched in Chelsea, so what we are seeing is children with neurodivergence, like autism spectrum disorder that we are worried about wandering away from their homes; this is also excellent for them.”
Hurley said her department has already begun outreach to families in town who have experienced a need in the past, mainly people who have had an elder or a child who have wandered away and called emergency services. Currently, she said there are about a dozen families who have said they want to commit to the program.
“Those are the folks we are thinking will be the high utilizers of the program,” she said.
The bracelet itself uses radio frequency technology, like the Lojack stolen car tracking devices.
“The question usually is asked, why radio frequency vs. GPS,” said Hurley. “This will work where GPS or cellular service is not available. It can also work in shallow water which in our community we are very worried about any kids that have neurodivergence because they are often seeking water and we are surrounded so much by it.”
The bracelet is secured on the wrist of an at-risk individual that has a locking mechanism.
“We are going to have two or three public safety vehicles that will be getting installed with frequency readers,” said Hurley. “We have a public health vehicle, so that will be in one of ours.”
The frequency readers will also be installed in a police and a fire vehicle, she said.
“If the person wanders and a caregiver calls 911, the radio frequency that is assigned to them will be activated and tracked with the vehicles,” said Hurley. “It is the starting point of where the person left from and then they go out and then they drive up and down the streets looking for the pinging.”
The health department will be purchasing 12 to 15 transmitters initially and two to three trackers. There will also be training on the program for public safety and health personnel on the program.
“As a member of the commission on disability we are proud that we found this out and that we were able to get Meredith onboard,” said Morgan. “We hope it’s successful, but we also hope that it never has to be used.”