Security Sales & Integration April 2022 - 17

How Security Pros Could Greatly Impact
Dementia Patients, Caregivers By Kevin Jameson
▶ Having built and sold a successful
alarm company by the age of 25, I found
myself wanting to stay in the security
business. That thinking eventually led to
a sales and marketing career working for
Aritech, Radionics and ADEMCO, and
via acquisition, Honeywell. I enjoyed a
great 35+ years in the security industry,
but along the way my wife Ginny sustained
a life-changing car accident, which
may be what led to the development of a
severe cognitive impairment (dementia).
This situation led me to take early retirement
from a vocation I loved, to become
a full-time caregiver and help Ginny
through hospice to the end of her life.
I tried to make sense of it and think about
how our trials and tribulations could help
others. It inspired me to start the Dementia
Society of America, a volunteer-driven
national nonprofit charity with a mission
to serve the public with dementia information
and local resources.
I also quickly realized how the work
my colleagues in the security industry do
could have a major impact on people experiencing
dementia and their caregivers.
What is dementia? First, dementia is
not a disease. Many professionals often
talk about it as if it is, but, according to
the World Health Organization (WHO),
it is a syndrome. A syndrome typically
has a multiplicity of possible causes, has
no meaningful therapies or interventions
to stop, reverse or prevent the condition,
and ultimately results in death.
The Dementia Society estimates that in
addition to Alzheimer's disease, the other
leading causes of dementia, such as cerebrovascular
disease, Lewy body disease,
frontotemporal degeneration, and more,
collectively affect about 9-10 million people
in the United States today.
One aspect of dementia is that people
often do not feel safe in their own
homes. They may believe they are living
50-60 years earlier in life and need to " go
securitysales.com
home " to see their parents. Or they may
want to " go to work, " even years after
leaving the workforce.
It is estimated that about 80% of those
living with dementia will attempt to leave
the safety of their home and venture out
to seek a safe space. The technical term for
this type of activity is called elopement.
This has led to an estimated 200,000
search and rescue missions per year in the
U.S. Of those, about 65,000 individuals
are forever lost or not found alive. This
staggering number may be conservative as
many elopement events are not reported.
Where Security Pros Come In
The security industry, including dealers
and integrators, can make a real difference
in designing specialized security
solutions for the residential homes where
those living with dementia reside, as well
as in the work done to secure senior living
communities, etc.
While the perfect solution may not
exist yet, there are certainly ways existing
security technologies can be
applied to this problem. Examples include
using door and motion sensors,
floor mats, video cameras, activity (or,
lack of activity) sensors, professional
monitoring that alerts the caregivers, or
depending on the situation, a combination
of technologies.
At the same time, PERS and certain
types of geolocating bracelets, shoe inserts
and phone apps are also used in these situations.
These have a place if one also understands
they can have limitations. For
example, will a person living with dementia
have the cognitive ability to activate
the distress button? Will people living
with dementia try to remove objects attached
to them? Lastly, care partners may
be older or not living 24/7 with the person,
and that can result in lost trackers or
devices that are not recharged.
I look forward to watching closely as
Current technologies, such as PERS,
have limitations with dementia patients.
technology evolves and more solutions
focusing on the unique aspects of this
problem come to fruition. In the meantime,
there are a lot of existing products
and technologies that can be applied or
combined to help protect people living
with dementia. During an occurrence
of elopement, if one sensor misses the
incident, another may work just as intended,
to get help - and potentially
save a life.
For those in the industry who have
installed systems to provide safety and
security for people experiencing dementia,
perhaps many of these systems have
already successfully prevented elopement
events - please reach out to me and join
the conversation. We should recognize
the good work that is already being done
and help spread the word to other security
professionals.
KEVIN JAMESON is President and
Chairman of the nonprofit Dementia
Society of America. Contact him at
kjameson@dementiasociety.org.
APRIL 2022 Security Sales & Integration
17
ANDREY POPOV/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
http://www.securitysales.com
Security Sales & Integration April 2022

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