**FILE** Monica Leon Galarza (right), a nursing assistant, helps Archie, a resident, ... more >A sheriff’s office in northern Utah has a novel idea to keep track of Alzheimer’s patients: Put them in ankle monitors that trace their every move.
The Associated Press reports that Davis County Deputy Sheriff Kevin Fielding first raised the idea. He said the monitors, which are identical to those attached to criminals who are put on house arrest or parole, would keep the patients from wandering and harming themselves. And that in turn would save taxpayers money because police wouldn’t be called to search down the wanderers as frequently, AP reports.
AP reports that industry officials with the Alzheimer’s Association aren’t supportive of the plan. They claim the ankle devices are too bulky and that dementia patients — who are already reluctant to wear tracking chains on their wrists and around their necks — certainly wouldn’t see the criminal version as a welcome substitute.
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Cheryl Chumley is a continuous news writer for The Washington Times. Previously, she was part of the start-up team for The Washington Times’ digital aggregation product, Times247. She’s also a 2008-2009 Robert Novak journalism fellow with The Phillips Foundation. She can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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