Technology Can Save a Life

One of the worst fears of any parent is that their child may go missing one day. That fear is amplified when the child is ambulatory, unable to understand danger, and is non-verbal. This article discusses one way that parents can address those concerns. "Unique Piece of Technology Could Save Lives By: Hollie Hojek hhojek@kcautv.com Trey Michaels is your average 8-year old boy, who loves movies, computer games and his IPad. But unlike many other kids his age, he doesn't just enjoy unique technology, he wears it. It's called a life savor bracelet. It's used to help find someone in case they runaway or get lost. And that's exactly what happened to Trey Michaels about two years ago, when he wandered off in a shoe store. Although he was found, just minutes later, Trey's parents decided they weren't going to take another chance, especially when it came to their son, with autism. "You hear about those kids who run away... And we just think thank goodness we have this bracelet for Trey because you just never know," said Trey's mom, Shana Michaels. Twenty-four hours a day, Trey wears the bracelet around his ankle. It's fitted with a personalized tracking device, and batteries that they check every morning. Now, if Trey were to runaway, all his parents need to do is call 911 and local authorities immediately begin tracking his whereabouts. "If he were at school surrounded by fields... Or daycare... Right by the street and take off in any direction he could be gone.," said Michaels. Not only that, with his autism, Trey doesn't always have the ability to speak. We could be calling for calling, and he wouldn't answer us, or he could be injured somewhere and he might not make a sound," said Michaels. But with this bracelet, he's got a little bit of a safety net, and a little less worry from mom and dad. "Before without the bracelet, if Trey were to runaway... Whew... I'd probably be a ten on a scale of ten, but now with the bracelet, I'd probably be an eight, we'd still be very concerned, but at least we know there's some steps we can take to be proactive.," said Trey's dad Tony. And this little piece of plastic is one of them, no matter how many more close calls Trey runs into. For those involved in Project Lifesaver, they are having a training session on November 16th and 17th." If you would like to look into this further, go to http://www.projectlifesaver.org/ If you are in my local area, Montgomery County, MD, then this is what appears on our county page: Divisions/Stations — Project Lifesaver PROJECT Providing a rapid response to missing persons and peace of mind to caregivers and their families. LIFESAVER Home | Application Process | FAQ | Useful Links | News/Resources | Contact Us Project Lifesaver is a proactive response by the Montgomery County Department of Police to identify those individuals within the community who have a propensity to wander and not be able to return home. Caregivers of individuals that have a propensity to wander due to a diagnosed medical condition such as Alzheimer's, Autism, or Down Syndrome are provided with information and tools to prevent episodes of wandering. If necessary, the individual may be outfitted with a trackable RFID bracelet. Continue to program description