Tracking device helps find missing Rock County man
TOWN OF MAGNOLIA–A bracelet designed to help searchers find people who wander away because of medical problems was key to finding a rural Rock County man Monday.
Rock County sheriff's deputies were dispatched at 12:29 p.m. to West Dorner Road, west of Footville, for a missing 81-year-old.
Emergency communications monitored by The Gazette indicated searchers tracked the man along a power line.
The man was a Project Lifesaver participant. The project uses wristband transmitters so people suffering from illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease, Down syndrome and autism can be tracked and found.
The sheriff's office's Project Lifesaver team responded to the scene with its tracking equipment, and the search started at about 1:10 p.m., according to the sheriff's office news release.
The man was found safe and turned over to his family members at 2:21 p.m.
The Project Lifesaver organization says most people are found within 30 minutes.
The bracelets cost $799 plus shipping, according to projectlifesaver.org.
The sheriff's office joined the program in 2010, when grants paid for 12 bracelets and other startup costs, according to Gazette files.
UPDATE: Julie Seeman from the Rock County Council on Aging adds:
"The Rock County Council on Aging has a program for family caregivers to obtain a Project Lifesaver bracelet for their loved at no cost to them. The sheriff’s department only charges a nominal fee to cover the cost of the monthly batteries. I would hate for a family to dismiss this great program because they feel they can’t afford it or it’s too costly. This program saves lives, as you can see from this recent event.