An 81 year-old woman with from Cartierville suffering from Alzheimer's froze to death Sunday morning after wandering out of her house in only her nightgown.
She was found dead in the street at 7 am.
"Her son was sleeping in the next room." said constable Yannick Ouimet of the Montreal police. "he only realized she was missing at 4:30. He looked for her for an hour before calling police."
The temperature dipped below -20 with the wind chill factor.
Her death has relaunched the debate on whether GPS tracking bracelets should be used on Alzheimer's patients.The system is being used in Europe. Montreal police say they are considering the idea.
This was the second time in as many months that an Alzheimer’s patient was found dead after wandering off in Montreal.
In December, Maria del Carmen Serrano, 73, was found dead in another Montreal street after she had left her home a day earlier. She died of hypothermia during Montreal’s first snow storm of the season.
Quebec's minister for senior citizens Marguerite Blais said the GPS solution is an option, but only if the patient's rights and dignty are respected.
Alain Gauthier of Baluchon-Alzheimers, a support group for Alzheimer' care givers says the GPS bracelet may not have helped the woman form Cartierville. She wouldn't have been wearing it while she was sleeping, he says.
"This disease is extremely hard on the caregivers of Alzheimer's patients. Caregivers become exhausted from the constant stress of looking out for their loved ones. They need to have a place they can go to rest and have nothing to worry about," he says.
Comments
This is such a sad story! I'm glad the events of this winter have caused police to revisit the idea of the GPS bracelets, and I hope they'll take into account that there are many other children and adults who would also benefit from them too.
Great story... Just make those corrections... Thanks...
My bad on the first spelling mistake.
The temperature dipped below -20 with the windshield. It should be windchill not windshield, which is part of the vehicle.
yes it is horrible that that has happened, the bracelets are a good idea
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