Elkhart County Triad, Inc.
Law Enforcement, Social Service Agencies and Senior Citizens
focused on the goal of Reducing the Victimization of
Senior Citizens on many different fronts.

Project Lifesaver
Protecting the wandering and bringing peace of mind to families, caregivers and communities.
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The Need for Project Lifesaver

Approximately 5 million people in the USA have Alzheimer's and related disorders.  That number will likely triple by the year 2050.  Well over 50% of these people wander and become lost.  A lost person with Alzheimer's or other dementia represents a critical emergency. 

If you are not yet touched in some way by Alzheimer's or a related disorder, chances are you will be within the next several years.  You will find it among neighbors, your friends, co-workers, and their families, and perhaps within your own family.

Project Lifesaver forms partnerships with local law enforcement, public safety organizations and concerned citizens in the community.  Project Lifesaver deploys specially trained teams with the most reliable technology available to quickly locate and return wandering adults and children to their families and caregivers.

How Project Lifesaver Works

We have combined "tried and true" radio technology with rescue teams from Elkhart County, including Law Enforcement, Public Safety officials and local interested citizens to build an effective life-saving system that has proven itself, time and again, to be reliable, responsive, practical and affordable.

People who are part of the Lifesaver program wear a personalized wristband that emits a tracking signal.  When the caregivers notify 911 that the person is missing, a search and rescue team responds to the wanderer's area and starts searching with the mobile locator tracking system.  Search times have been reduced from hours and days to minutes.

The Project Lifesaver wristband is much more than a passive ID bracelet.  It is a one-ounce battery operated wrist transmitter emitting an automatic tracking signal every second, 24 hours a day.  The signal is tracked on the ground or in the air over several miles.  As each wristband has a unique radio frequency, the Project Lifesaver search team positively locates and identifies the person who has wandered away. from home or a care facility.

Technology is Only Half the Story

Project Lifesaver emphasizes relationships between team members and the people who may wander before the need may arise for a rescue.  Team members visit the home of the bracelet recipients to install the transmitter and make regular visits to maintain the equipment.  Project Lifesaver team members are specially trained, not only in the use of the electronic tracking equipment, but especially in the methods to communicate with a person who has Alzheimer's disease or related disorder.  Locating the individual is only a part of the mission.  The person who is located will be disoriented, anxious, and untrusting.  The Project Lifesaver team know how to approach the person, gain their trust, and put them at ease for the trip home.

Get Your Loved One on the Program

If your loved one resides in Elkhart County, Indiana and you are interested in inquiring about registering for the program, please contact Captain Brad Rogers, Elkhart County Sheriff's Department, at (574) 535-6506 or at brogers@elkhartcountysheriff.com 

What is the Responsibility to the Caretaker?

The caretaker will be responsible for:

• testing the transmitter daily and logging the information
• contacting 911immediately if the love one becomes missing
• contacting the local Project Lifesaver director or responder assigned if the wristband is removed or if there is a problem, such as the tester indicates the transmitter is not working properly
• paying the start up fee (approximately $263.00) for the transmitter  (Note:  Elkhart County Project Lifesaver desires to furnish this program to anyone regardless of their ability to pay, as there are scholarships available.)
• paying the monthly service fee of $15.00, which includes a trained responder coming into the home to change the battery for the transmitter, replace the wristband and snaps, and general maintenance on the equipment.  (Again, if someone is not able to pay for this service, it can be reduced or waived.)

Has there ever been an actual Project Lifesaver search in Elkhart County?

Yes!  In October 2005, a 71 year old with Alzheimer's wandered away from his home.  The caretaker called 911 and it took approximately 15 minute for trained responders to arrive at the point-last-scene.  The responders activated the tracking equipment and immediately received a signal from the man's transmitter.  13 minutes later the responders found him approximately one mile from his home.  This was the 1,238th successful rescue in the nation since Project Lifesaver's inception in 1999. 

How can I donate or sponsor a wristband for the program?

Contact Captain Brad Rogers, Elkhart County Sheriff's Department at (574)535-6506 or at brogers@elkhartcountysheriff.com

Project Lifesaver International Website at www.projectlifesaver.org

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