Dementia wristbands

Update: 

Lincolnshire Police have launched the Dementia Safeguarding scheme which sees members of your communities who are living with dementia offered a wrist band like a watch.

The watch contains their next of kins contact name and number. This allows the person to retain their freedom and independence but also giving them a little safety net in that if they forgot where they are or how to get home.

We have some 12,500 people living in the county with Dementia with that figure expected to rise to 60,000 by 2035.

If you should come across someone with a band on who is looking lost and confused, reassure them and use your NFC mobile phone  to read the band. To read the band hold your mobile against the flower picture on band and on your screen will pop up with the name and number of the NOK.

You can ring the NOK and reunite them quickly and safely often with no need to inform anyone else.

NFC stands for Near field communication. Typically this is a mobile phone newer that 2017 and no requirement for apps.

It is totally free to use and does not need mobile data either. It works in the same way your bank card works in a shop. You hold it to the device.

The device then shares the data stored on the chip which is then readable on your screen. The phone will not store the data and will not pass anything to the band.

I phones usually have this feature turned on as a standard 24/7 within the phone.

Samsungs/ androids may or may not be turned on. Simply pull done into your quick settings and turn on the icon which looks like a capital N and usually has the word NFC underneath it.

Original release:

A “smart” wristband will be issued to people living with dementia in a new project launched by the Alford & Mablethorpe NPT and part funded by the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner.

The wristbands will store the names and contact details of a wearer’s next of kin and can be read by smart phones using near field communication technology.

A pilot project using hundreds bands is being launched in East Lindsey and supported with a £1,000 grant from PCC Marc Jones and additional funding from local community groups including the Royal British Legion and Coastal Community Challenge.

Mr Jones said the project could be a huge step forward in protecting vulnerable people. “This new technology is one step, but an important one, in ensuring we do everything possible to protect vulnerable people in our community,” said Mr Jones.

“It is crucial that people living with dementia can get to a place of safety and security, with friends or family, as quickly as possible. These wristbands will achieve that.

“It is another example of how we are trying to harness he latest technology to keep out communities and residents safe.”

The bracelets can be worn or carried by people living with dementia so, if they get lost, police or members of the public can quickly access details of the next of kin and contact them. These are not trackers, but details can be retrieved simply by placing a mobile phone against the device. 

If the trial is successful the project could be rolled out across the county.

According to figures released by the NHS in January this year there are an estimated 11,800 people in Lincolnshire living with dementia - with 7,200 officially diagnosed.

It is crucial that people living with dementia can get to a place of safety and security, with friends or family, as quickly as possible. These wristbands will help achieve that.

Research shows there are more than 850,000 people in the UK who have dementia. One in 14 people over the age of 65 have dementia, and the condition affects 1 in 6 people over 80.

The project comes in the wake of Lincolnshire adopting the Herbert Protocol named after war veteran and dementia sufferer George Herbert.

The Protocol form includes details about an individual’s medication, daily routine and significant places as well as including a description and a photograph.

If you are a carer or relative of someone who is living with dementia who is mobile within the community and you think a wristband would be of benefit then please email [email protected]  with the name of the person, you are requesting for. Include their date of birth and home address along with the requested name address and contact number and a member of the team will be in touch.