MedicAlert Foundation Announces GPS Product to Address Autism-Related Wandering
Turlock, California (PRWEB) August 21, 2013 -- MedicAlert Foundation gives parents of children with autism a powerful new tool in addressing wandering with the release of MedicAlert® GPS + Essential. According to a recent survey by the American Academy of Pediatrics, nearly half of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) engage in wandering or elopement behavior; of those who went missing, 24 percent were in danger of drowning and 65 percent were in danger of traffic injury. To address wandering concerns, MedicAlert Foundation partnered with eTrak to combine the latest in GPS technology with MedicAlert’s 24/7 Emergency Response services, resulting in the creation of a new device that not only alerts parents, but has a trusted service to further protect and locate missing children.
“Wandering is a serious and everyday concern for autism families,” said Andrew Wigglesworth, president and CEO of MedicAlert Foundation, adding, “As a charity founded by a doctor who wanted to protect his child, the new MedicAlert® GPS + Essential product is near to our hearts as it was created to protect children who tend to wander, especially children with autism.”
MedicAlert® GPS + Essential comes equipped with a “Safety Circle” feature, which allows parents to create multiple boundaries around a home, school, and other addresses for ongoing monitoring. The Safety Circle identifies a perimeter in which a child may typically travel, and if the child enters or exits the circle, parents are immediately notified, via text and/or email, of their child’s location.
“As a mother, I understand the importance of always knowing the location of our children,” said Karen Lamoree, chief operating officer of MedicAlert Foundation, adding, “with MedicAlert® GPS + Essential, parents can pinpoint their child’s location through a smartphone with accuracy of up to 10 feet.”
For added security, MedicAlert® GPS + Essential comes equipped with an “Alert” button that, when pressed, will immediately notify MedicAlert’s 24/7 Emergency Response team that help is needed. MedicAlert will contact parents and, if needed, law enforcement or EMS to ensure a child’s safety, should an emergency signal be transmitted from the device.
About the size of a domino chip, MedicAlert® GPS + Essential weighs less than an ounce and can be slipped into a child’s pocket, attached to a backpack, connected to a necklace, or worn on the belt. Alongside its remarkably small stature, MedicAlert® GPS + Essential utilizes Wi-Fi mapping, cell tower triangulation, and GPS technology to deliver accuracy of up to 10 feet.
“We’re confident MedicAlert® GPS + Essential will help protect children with autism and give parents a renewed level of assurance that their child’s safety and security is always looked after,” said Wigglesworth.
To learn more about the all new MedicAlert® GPS + Essential, go to http://www.medicalert.org/gps.
About MedicAlert Foundation International
Established in 1956, the nonprofit charity MedicAlert Foundation pioneered the use of medical ID products and delivers the most dependable, responsive, and trusted Emergency Identification and Medical Information Network. MedicAlert provides the functionality of an e-health information exchange through an innovative combination of a unique patient identifier linked to a personal health record and a live 24/7 emergency response service. MedicAlert Foundation International medical ID products alert emergency personnel to a member’s primary health conditions, medications or other critical information. In addition to its 24-hour emergency response service, MedicAlert Foundation International also provides family and caregiver notification so that members can be reunited with their loved ones. Visit http://www.medicalert.org for more information.
Jillian Megee, MedicAlert Foundation, http://www.medicalert.org, (209) 669-2460, [email protected]
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