The Ministry for Social Equaity, the Ministry of Public Security and the Israel Police launched a pilot project on Thursday for locating potential dementia patients who have the potential for absence. According to data from the Israel Medical Center for Alzheimer's disease, there are currently about 50,000 dementia patients in Israel. Every year, according to the police, about 1,000 complaints are filed about the absence of elderly people with dementia.
The initial stage of the project involves the distribution of 100 pairs of GPS-assisted detection bracelets which can be worn around the wrist or the neck. The bracelets are made of pressure-sensitive material which serve as location transmitters in the event of an absence report and automatically report a departure from a "safe area" defined in advance by the patient's guardian.