Tracking Wanderers
Sun 09 October 2022
Just a few years ago I was looking for a tracking solution for my mom. She had been diagnosed with dementia, probably Alzheimer’s, and was prone to wandering. Nothing on the market, at that time, really fit the bill. They were either too bulky, didn’t track the individual in real-time, or had other issues that made them not a good fit. Today, I was made aware of a new product: Jiobit.
For clarity, I have neither a relationship with Jiobit nor have used their product, but based on the advertising information, this seems like it would be a good fit for a wandering dementia patient. The device is small, has multiple attachment mechanisms, and, most importantly to me, has multiple means of communicating its position including cellular, Bluetooth, and WiFi. This is important because the sensor doesn’t require other people to run a particular app for the sensor’s information to be received by the system, like Tile or AirTag. It also has a built-in GPS/GLONASS receiver so the system knows where the tracker is, not where the device that picked up the sensor is; an important distinction.
I am quite interested to see if I run into one of these devices in the field and how it compares with other tracking solutions like AirTag, Fi, AngelSense, SmartThings, Gizmo, Tile, and Whistle.