GPS Shoes Could Help Track Alzheimer's Patients

Caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease can now breathe a sigh of relief.

Next month, shoes fitted with GPS tracking systems will hit store shelves in the U.S., reports Agence France Presse. The shoes have the potential to help the 5.4 million people in the United States with Alzheimer's.

Priced at $300 and created by GTX, the shoes' heels hold a global positioning system (GPS) to track a wandering patient with dementia or Alzheimer's disease, notes USA Today.

The shoes were first announced back in 2009.

Project adviser Andrew Carle of George Mason University's College of Health and Human Services, first suggested GTX create a GPS shoes for tracking Alzheimer's patients. He told AFP that 60 percent of those who suffer from the disease wander, and about half of them who aren't found in 24 hours may risk death because of dehydration or injury.

The New York Times explains the shoes require a $30 to $40 dollar subscription monitoring service, but they'll certainly give caregivers peace of mind as the GPS transmitters will work anywhere a cell phone receives a signal.

While there are some products, like wristbands, on the market to track people with dementia and Alzheimer's, there's no guaranteeing people will keep these devices on, says Carle on PhysOrg.com.

With the Alzheimer's Association reporting that the disease could affect 11 to 16 million people by 2050, the GPS shoe could signify a supply and demand for products that cater to the world's growing aging population, particularly those with memory loss.

Check out a video of the GPS shoe below.