Project Lifesaver expands across Ontario to aid in finding missing persons with dementia

To better protect Ontarians living with memory-related conditions, police are working closely with health organizations and caregivers through programs like Project Lifesaver that use radio frequency technology for rapid location

As part of a growing effort to prevent vulnerable individuals from going missing, the OPP is promoting tracking technologies and partnerships like Project Lifesaver across more than 20 communities in Ontario.

The OPP is urging families, caregivers, and communities to take proactive steps to protect individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, particularly when wandering or going missing becomes a concern. According to the Alzheimer’s Society of Ontario, 60 per cent of people with dementia-related memory problems will become lost or wander at some point, often without warning.

The OPP is encouraging the use of multiple safety strategies, including tracking devices and community-based programs, to help locate individuals quickly and safely. No single product or strategy can guarantee safety, but combining technology with community awareness can make a critical difference.  

Tracking Devices: What to Know

Tracking devices, also known as locator devices, use technologies such as GPS, radio frequency (RF), or Bluetooth to help caregivers and emergency responders locate a missing person. Each technology has its own strengths and limitations:

• GPS: Best for outdoor tracking; requires frequent charging.
• RF: Effective indoors; shorter range than GPS.
• Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE): Long battery life; limited range, especially in rural areas.

Before choosing a device, families should consider several factors to ensure the right product is chosen. A comprehensive list of locator devices, including physical devices and mobile apps, has been compiled by the Aging and Innovation Research Program, in collaboration with the Alzheimer Society of Ontario and AGE-WELL NCE.

Project Lifesaver: A Proven Partnership

See: Dementia victim wandering in heavily wooded area found by Project Lifesaver

The OPP has partnered with several Alzheimer Societies across Ontario to implement Project Lifesaver, a program designed to protect and quickly locate individuals at risk of wandering. Participants wear a lightweight bracelet transmitter that emits a unique radio frequency signal. When someone goes missing, trained officers use specialized receivers to locate the signal, often within minutes.

The OPP began its involvement with Project Lifesaver in 2005, when the Essex County Detachment launched a pilot program in partnership with Project Lifesaver International. In 2008, the Caledon Detachment followed with its own pilot initiative. These early successes demonstrated the program’s effectiveness in locating individuals at risk of wandering due to cognitive conditions such as dementia. As a result, the OPP formally endorsed the use of Project Lifesaver later in 2008, supporting its broader implementation across the province.

“It is a community decision whether to adopt Project Lifesaver. The OPP is willing to partner with any community in our jurisdiction to support Project Lifesaver and will absorb the costs for all officer training associated with the program. More than 20 OPP-policed communities currently partner with Project Lifesaver,” says a release.

Visit projectlifesaver.org for more information.

Additional Resources and Safety Measures

• Finding Your Way helps people living with dementia, their families, caregivers and communities to recognize the risk of going missing, be prepared for incidents of going missing, and ensure that people with dementia can live safely in the community.
• The Alzheimer Society of Canada recommends early conversations about tracking devices and safety strategies, especially following a diagnosis. These discussions should reflect the individual’s values around privacy, independence, and safety.
• Door alarms can alert caregivers when someone leaves the home.

If someone you care for is living with dementia, contact your local Alzheimer Society or OPP detachment to learn more about available resources.

To report a missing person, call 9-1-1 immediately.