SATELLITE technology is today restoring peace of mind to the family of a pensioner in Suffolk whose Alzheimer's caused him to go missing twice.

Simon Tomlinson

SATELLITE technology is today restoring peace of mind to the family of a pensioner in Suffolk whose Alzheimer's caused him to go missing twice.

Eric Jay, of Garden Place, Shotley, was found in a field on two occasions in July after triggering massive search operations by the emergency services and his worried family.

Each time, Mr Jay, 82, disappeared after becoming disorientated while out walking and could not remember what had happened to him.

His son, Trevor, expressed concerns about the effect the mental condition was having on his father and made an impassioned plea for help in restoring his independence.

Now, after some research, the family has invested in a personal GPS tracker so they can pinpoint Eric Jay whereabouts while enabling him to continue to enjoy his walks.

Trevor Jay, of Orwell View, Shotley, said: “It is exactly what we were looking for. The family feels a lot more settled now that we can locate him.”

The Buddi tracker system, which costs around £300 plus a monthly subscription, allows the family to enter a web-site to view the location of the person wearing the device.

Importantly the device also has an emergency alert feature which allows the wearer to notify the company who will contact the relevant authorities.

Trevor Jay says his father has got into the habit of putting on the device each morning and has been wearing it whenever he goes out.

He said: “If he is outside and wearing the tracker I can locate him to within a few metres. He has gone out and we have followed him on it. I really recommend it.”