Care Trak

Care Trak Tracking SystemCare Trak is a telemetry tracking system used to track high-risk people with Alzheimer's disease and special needs children, primarily with Autism and Downs' Syndrome.

Since 1986, hundreds of Sheriff's, Police, Fire Departments and Search and Rescue teams have used the Care Trak system to quickly locate at risk individuals. In over 2,000 rescues, trained emergency responders recovered lost individuals in an average time of less than 30 minutes. Without Care Trak the average search time is over 8 hours.

This simple, reliable, and effective system is now available in Van Buren County from the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office. The Care Trak system, purchased by the Sheriff's office, is recognized as the oldest, most respected name in the Telemetry based people locating system worldwide.

How It Works

A high risk person wears a small transmitter similar in size to a wristwatch. The transmitter is attached with a removal resistant band that can be placed either on

the wrist or ankle. Each transmitter has its own frequency which is recorded with other important information in a confidential client profile. To ensure a high degree of reliability, the transmitter should be tested twice per day by the caregiver. A tester is supplied with each transmitter. If the person wanders away from the caregiver, a call should be made to the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office immediately. Trained officers will respond to the last known location with the client profile and tracking equipment to begin the search. Searches can be done on foot, by vehicle, or from aircraft depending on the circumstances.

Why You Should Consider the Care Trak System for Your Family Member

  • 10% of the population 65 and over have Alzheimer's disease. 59% will wander at some point during the progression of the condition.
  • 50% of the population 85 years old and over has Alzheimer's disease.
  • 32,000 Alzheimer's patients wander away from home or long term care facilities each year.
  • 75% of care is provided by friends and family.
  • A person with Alzheimer's disease can live for 20 years from the onset of the disease.
  • Can you watch someone 24 hours per day, seven days a week, for as much as twenty years?
  • If a wandered person is not found within 24 hours, the survival rate drops to 47%. In Michigan with our cold winter weather, the time to safely find a wander drops to minutes. Many high risk persons are not able to tell the difference from night and day, hot or cold weather, and may leave their care facility at any time of the day or night not properly dressed.
  • Autism occurs in 1 of every 150 births and the condition is on the rise. Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability. Down Syndrome occurs in 1 of every 800 births. Autistic, Down's, and other special needs children do not always wander, they tend to "bolt and run". Since they have no fear of real dangers, they are often killed by accident.

Cost

The cost for the transmitter is $260; a monthly fee of $20 is collected to provide a new transmitter battery and wrist band. A representative from the Sheriff's Office will come to the client's residence each month and change the battery and reinstall the unit on the client. Total cost for the first year of service is $500. Subsequent years would be $240.

How to Make a Purchase

If you would like to purchase the system, please call our office at 269-657-2006 between the hours of 8 am and 4 pm, Monday through Friday. Tell the operator you are interested in Care Trak and they will take your name and phone number. Someone will call you and set up an appointment when everything can be explained nd demonstrated.