Tagging dementia patients is putting a 'plaster' over social care problems Sussex Police is trialling a system of fitting dementia patients with the tracking devices which will help find dementia patients who get lost. The force hopes this will save money, by avoiding costly call outs to find them, which can often involve police helicopters and a number of officers. Brenda Jackson, Manager of Chichester Careline, said the new devices could actually save lives by enabling dementia patients to be found more quickly and cited the case of one elderly woman who was found lying in a field of mud. She said: "If she had gone missing the day before she probably would have died." She said the devices, which can be worn around the neck, clipped to a belt or attached to keys, gave patients more freedom and were an extension of some of the pendant systems used in some sheltered accommodation. She added: "It's the complete opposite of tagging. This actually gives patients more independence; it gives someone with dementia the freedom to go out. Sussex Police are trialling six of the GPS tracking systems with dementia patients in Chichester, in conjunction with Chichester Careline run by the district council. Under the system family and friends can log in and monitor where patients are. More than 100 local authorities are currently using similar systems, but Sussex Police is the first force to adopt the scheme.