Project Lifesaver Now Operating in Beaufort and Jasper County

By Gwyneth J. Saunders CONTRIBUTOR

Not all who wander are lost, but for those whose loved ones tend to wander unescorted, Project Lifesaver uses technology to track them and get them home, usually very quickly.

The 501(c)(3) non-profit is a public safety organization that provides first responders and caregivers with equipment that can quickly locate those individuals with cognitive disorders who are prone to wandering. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 6.7 million Americans aged 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s. That is one in nine people in that age range. The South Carolina percentage of residents 65 and older is 18.6%. Beaufort County’s is 28.8% and Jasper’s is 20.1%.

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office implemented the program in 2016, and now Jasper County Sheriff’s Office has joined, with the help of Anne Redlus and other members of the Greater Federation of Women’s

League of the Lowcountry.

Redlus initiated the suggestion because she felt many people were unaware of the program and its benefits. “Project Lifesaver addresses the problem of adults and children who wander. There is no cost to families who sign up a loved one on the program, and it is run by the sheriff’s offices,” said Redlus. “The league initially donated $3,000 from a Progress Foundation Grant received through our state organization, and the sheriff’s office added $1,500 to enable the program to get started.”

The technology is a personalized Project Lifesaver wristband which has a one-ounce battery-operated transmitter that emits an automatic tracking signal every second, 24 hours a day and is traced by a receiver. It is designed to be worn all the time. When a search must be made, the signal can be tracked by those specially trained personnel on the ground or in the air.

Once a family is signed up, officers will go to the family’s home, explain the program, individualize the wrist- band or bracelet, and then make regular visits both to change the transmitter’s battery and to check on the individual – as much as to develop a relationship with the specific individual as to check the transmitter.

Please see LIFESAVER on page 8A