Sparks's Journal

Tracking Wanderers

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.

Other articles

Blue Ridge Parkway Search and Rescue Exercise 2019

Sun 05 May 2019
By Sparks

In Search and Rescue.

tags: National Park Service SARTI tracking Rocky Knob Recreation Area Virginia

Boy, that was fun. I’m just getting back from a search and rescue exercise (SAREX) that I participated in as a prospective member of the Search and Rescue Tracking Institute (SARTI). Having operated as a flanker on a canine search team during the previous two years, I decided to …
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Virginia Search and Rescue Conference 2019

Sun 14 April 2019
By Sparks

In Search and Rescue.

tags: tracking Lost Person Behavior

I attended the Virginia SAR Conference in Appomatox, Virginia this year and had a blast! The primary reason I attended the conference was to attend the Lost Person Behavior class, taught by Bob Koester himself, along with the companion Train the Trainer class, which allows me to teach the class …
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NASAR SARTECH II Complete!

Sat 13 January 2018
By Sparks

In Search and Rescue.

tags: SARTECH II Calvert K9 Search Team

Over the past few months a small group of us from Calvert K9 Search Team (CK9) have been working towards our NASAR SARTECH II certification. The four of us have been meeting several times a month, in addition to studying at home, to learn lots of material and become proficient …
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