Technological innovation is helping some families in the GTA keep track of where their loved ones with Alzheimer’s are, from a GPS wristband in York Region called Project Lifesaver, to a special colour-coded MedicAlert bracelet. They are also using smartphones that incorporate geofencing, which is a software that administers and alerts the families of the individual when the tracked person leaves his or her arranged boundaries.

The federal government announced on Wednesday, Oct. 1 that it is in the “early stages” of developing a national strategy for dementia. But with no definitive money pledged, no allocation of funds, and no timeline provided, the announcement by the federal Minister of Health, Rona Ambrose, is too little, too late for the Basdeo family of Vaughan, Ontario.