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Any way to keep track/locate friend with short term memory loss??


mmsoko
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We will be cruising with our friend who has short term memory loss. Even though we plan to have a companion with her at all times, we are trying to plan ahead. We will be on Crown Princess.

Any onboard devices, etc that could help us.

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I cannot think of a darn thing. My MIL has dementia and we took her and my FIL on a cruise. It was terrible. Just make sure she has ID with her at all times in case she gets lost, including her cabin number. Even if you purchase walkie talkies, they are not very reliable, plus....is she going to remember how to use it and even KNOW that she needs to use it. Very difficult situation if she wanders off.

Edited by champagne123
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I think she needs an ID (bracelet or necklace or anklet) that includes her name and cabin number. Then if she gets lost and cannot remember her name or cabin the crew can locate where she should be. Also if she wanders at night it would help to get a door alarm before you cruise. This would let an alarm sound if she opens the cabin door and her roommate could assist her back to bed.

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Agree with Katesdale's suggestion .

 

Additionally it's important to know that all cruise lines have a "Fit to Travel" clause in its cruise contract including Princess. In summary it states that if a person is not fit to travel by themselves they have to arrange for personal attendant to be with them at all times. Though it was stated that someone would be with the individual at all times, if wondering becomes a regular issue in which passengers as well as Princess Staff have to assist her, this does get report to the powers to be on board. The Captain has the authority to disembark the entire party responsible for this individual prior to the final disembarkation port for safety reasons. No refund for the remaining cruise days and all costs to get back from another port is the responsibility of everyone in the group. Know that this have been done and reports of this happening have been posted on CC.

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You need to be aware that if she does wander off and does not know where she is, there is a chance the cruise line would disembark her at the next port as a danger to herself and others...that has happened.

 

 

I do hope everything goes well for all of you.

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IF my memory serves... there are devices that will sound an alarm if it gets too far from the person with the main unit.

 

That could be embarrassing, but it's far better than having someone just wander off indefinitely...

And if the person does NOT wander off, then no alarm, of course.

 

IS that a "thing", or should I contact a patent attorney? :rolleyes:

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IF my memory serves... there are devices that will sound an alarm if it gets too far from the person with the main unit.

 

That could be embarrassing, but it's far better than having someone just wander off indefinitely...

And if the person does NOT wander off, then no alarm, of course.

 

IS that a "thing", or should I contact a patent attorney? :rolleyes:

 

No patent attorney needed. Just do an internet search and the following websites pop up. OP might want to check out these websites

 

http://www.alzstore.com/alzheimers-dementia-wandering-s/1828.htm

 

http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/making-a-difference/teen-invents-sensor-help-alzheimers-patients-n203231

 

http://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2011/06/01/10-resources-for-wandering-children-with-autism/

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I saw a new item designed for lost pets but could definitely be used by a human. Its a button type clip that clips on a dog collar/ or in a humans pocket. It is used in conjunction with your cell phone and it tracks the button/clip thru GPS. I don't have a pet but thought it would be a wonderful system to track kids etc. Its about the size of a quarter. It's called TrackeR. Just Google it I think its about $30.

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  • 4 weeks later...

My friend takes 2 other members of the family with her and hubby (dementia). They share the minding so its not onerous and the person is never alone.. They have to place a chair in front of the cabin door at night (not really allowed). they leave bathroom light on so correct door is used. Its hard work.

And yes they told us a lady was taken off the ship in Europe because she thought she was on a local ferry. Must have medical insurance to cover dementia.

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I believe I read that one of the features of the Medallion that Princess is introducing is that they can track anyone at any time. So if a person wandered off, they could be located using the Medallion. EM

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We will be cruising with our friend who has short term memory loss. Even though we plan to have a companion with her at all times, we are trying to plan ahead. We will be on Crown Princess.

Any onboard devices, etc that could help us.

 

If you are still in need I would suggest you talk to someone at a medical supply store. They may have something or have ideas.

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I would not rely on any shipboard features on their own (it's fine to use it as part of an overall plan) as they can fail, or not be available on that particular ship, and the ship will NOT be responsible. Be aware that Bluetooth and GPS based trackers will not work very well on the ship either due to lack of sky (GPS) and all the metal in ship (Bluetooth and GPS). They are fine as part of your plan for being in ports.

 

This is how I would handle things - your friend may be better or worse than I am assuming. This plan assuming a night wander is a risk.

 

To keep things simple, I'm going to call the friend with memory loss "Betty" and assume female. Adjust pronouns as appropriate for your situation. I'm also assuming that if a crew member, even once, has to assist with a missing "Betty" that your entire group will be kicked off. I want to avoid that.

 

1. Everyone needs to be on board (pun not really intended) with the overall plan. Mistakes cannot happen. Have a clear, unambiguous schedule that everyone agrees to. Determine how long each person can honestly be the escort, and keep the shifts shorter than the "worst" person. Everyone should also have a cell phone, and keep it with them, and turned on. I also recommend practising at home prior to the cruise (practice hand-offs and test any technology on everyone's phones with someone playing the role of Betty. Try it inside a busy shopping mall).

 

2. All all times, there must be 1 person who is 100% focused on Betty. They do not do anything else, they don't even use the restroom. They have Betty's ship card on a lanyard [as a symbol of their responsibility plus it prevents Betty from leaving the ship if you are in port], and if something happens, they are 100% in charge.

 

3. There must be a clear, understood hand off. If Veronica "has Betty" she needs to make sure someone else takes over before she does anything else.

"Archie, I need you to take Betty"

"Yes, Veronica, I have Betty."

[Veronica hands Archie Betty's lanyard, Archie now "has Betty"]

 

4. If Betty needs to go to the washroom, she is escorted into the washroom by a female if possible. If not, the escort will stand right outside the washroom door and not move, and will carefully watch every person who leaves. Yes, this might feel uncomfortable.

 

5. This also applies to meal times. The designated, and the primary alternate,sit next to her [one on the left, one on the right].

 

6. In ports, there should always be two people with Betty if at all possible - although one of them will be the primary who "has Betty". One of these people should be female to handle washroom issues - do the hand-off if necessary.

 

7. To deal with night wanders, I would suggest hiring someone to take night shift. You pay their airfare, cruise costs, gratuities, and provide OBC to cover ship board costs and IN ADDITION they get a wage/fee on top of that. They get their own cabin. This person will stay in the room, awake overnight, then sleep during the day. Work with their cabin steward so the steward can work around this unusual schedule. When they don't "have Betty" or are sleeping, they can do whatever they want.

 

If Betty is Lost

 

A. On the ship: Whoever has Betty hugs a tree and calls everyone to join in the search party, and assigns search areas. One person should be at Betty's cabin (in case she is escorted by staff or gets their on her own), others start at one side of the ship and work their way to the other. The tree hugger can try to use the ship's tracking stuff [test it when she isn't lost], and everyone reports in to the tree hugger

"Reggie here, she's not in the Casino"

"Jughead here, don't see her in the XYZ Lounge"

"Veronica here, found her in the Art Gallery".

[Veronica now "has Betty"]

 

B. In port. Similar procedure. The tree hugger will coordinate the search and give everyone their assignments. One person should return to the port, near the entrance to where all cruisers from all ships would need to go to get on a ship. Don't let her get on the wrong ship.

 

"Reggie, search each store on the east side of the street. Veronica, you have the west. Archie, you have the port entrance, etc".

 

Given the risk of missing the ship, plan on being back on the ship 90 - 120 minutes before "All Aboard" time.

 

If this is too much for your group, have 2 paid aides (they can share the private room) to help reduce the efforts for everyone else, or reconsider taking Betty on a cruise. I know I would have serious reservations about taking this on.

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I believe I read that one of the features of the Medallion that Princess is introducing is that they can track anyone at any time. So if a person wandered off, they could be located using the Medallion. EM

 

 

 

The Medallion system will only be on a few ships in the beginning. Unfortunately, the Crown isn't even in the queue for implementation.

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I would not rely on any shipboard features on their own (it's fine to use it as part of an overall plan) as they can fail, or not be available on that particular ship, and the ship will NOT be responsible. Be aware that Bluetooth and GPS based trackers will not work very well on the ship either due to lack of sky (GPS) and all the metal in ship (Bluetooth and GPS). They are fine as part of your plan for being in ports.

 

This is how I would handle things - your friend may be better or worse than I am assuming. This plan assuming a night wander is a risk.

 

To keep things simple, I'm going to call the friend with memory loss "Betty" and assume female. Adjust pronouns as appropriate for your situation. I'm also assuming that if a crew member, even once, has to assist with a missing "Betty" that your entire group will be kicked off. I want to avoid that.

 

1. Everyone needs to be on board (pun not really intended) with the overall plan. Mistakes cannot happen. Have a clear, unambiguous schedule that everyone agrees to. Determine how long each person can honestly be the escort, and keep the shifts shorter than the "worst" person. Everyone should also have a cell phone, and keep it with them, and turned on. I also recommend practising at home prior to the cruise (practice hand-offs and test any technology on everyone's phones with someone playing the role of Betty. Try it inside a busy shopping mall).

 

2. All all times, there must be 1 person who is 100% focused on Betty. They do not do anything else, they don't even use the restroom. They have Betty's ship card on a lanyard [as a symbol of their responsibility plus it prevents Betty from leaving the ship if you are in port], and if something happens, they are 100% in charge.

 

3. There must be a clear, understood hand off. If Veronica "has Betty" she needs to make sure someone else takes over before she does anything else.

"Archie, I need you to take Betty"

"Yes, Veronica, I have Betty."

[Veronica hands Archie Betty's lanyard, Archie now "has Betty"]

 

4. If Betty needs to go to the washroom, she is escorted into the washroom by a female if possible. If not, the escort will stand right outside the washroom door and not move, and will carefully watch every person who leaves. Yes, this might feel uncomfortable.

 

5. This also applies to meal times. The designated, and the primary alternate,sit next to her [one on the left, one on the right].

 

6. In ports, there should always be two people with Betty if at all possible - although one of them will be the primary who "has Betty". One of these people should be female to handle washroom issues - do the hand-off if necessary.

 

7. To deal with night wanders, I would suggest hiring someone to take night shift. You pay their airfare, cruise costs, gratuities, and provide OBC to cover ship board costs and IN ADDITION they get a wage/fee on top of that. They get their own cabin. This person will stay in the room, awake overnight, then sleep during the day. Work with their cabin steward so the steward can work around this unusual schedule. When they don't "have Betty" or are sleeping, they can do whatever they want.

 

If Betty is Lost

 

A. On the ship: Whoever has Betty hugs a tree and calls everyone to join in the search party, and assigns search areas. One person should be at Betty's cabin (in case she is escorted by staff or gets their on her own), others start at one side of the ship and work their way to the other. The tree hugger can try to use the ship's tracking stuff [test it when she isn't lost], and everyone reports in to the tree hugger

"Reggie here, she's not in the Casino"

"Jughead here, don't see her in the XYZ Lounge"

"Veronica here, found her in the Art Gallery".

[Veronica now "has Betty"]

 

B. In port. Similar procedure. The tree hugger will coordinate the search and give everyone their assignments. One person should return to the port, near the entrance to where all cruisers from all ships would need to go to get on a ship. Don't let her get on the wrong ship.

 

"Reggie, search each store on the east side of the street. Veronica, you have the west. Archie, you have the port entrance, etc".

 

Given the risk of missing the ship, plan on being back on the ship 90 - 120 minutes before "All Aboard" time.

 

If this is too much for your group, have 2 paid aides (they can share the private room) to help reduce the efforts for everyone else, or reconsider taking Betty on a cruise. I know I would have serious reservations about taking this on.

 

The point demonstrated from your post is that there's a lot involved and lot to ask of friends including to have to incur the cost of cell phone usage on board the ship which can be very expensive to ensure this person's safety.

 

IMHO the OP, which is the person's friend, really needs to give serious thought to undertaking this responsibility. IMO her friend needs to have an aid traveling with her for the sole purpose of overseeing this person's well being on the ship. Unless this individual was an immediate family member of mine I would not assume the responsibility of this individuals safety on or off the ship no matter how good of friend he or she is.

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