Tell you neighbor to get in touch with the local branch of the Alzheimer's Association. They know the answers to these questions and many others. You are a good friend.

Is his cell phone an iPhone? Would the find my phone app work?

My father had Alzheimer's. Awful disease. My dad's illness was before the common use of GPS, but I doubt he would have kept a bracelet device on. (He was a wanderer, we were blessed with a community of neighbor's who knew him and knew to call us when they thought he was where he shouldn't be.)

Here's some info from the Alzheimer's association that might help choose the right device.

Location devices

There is this list on Alzheimer's website.

I empathize with your neighbor. My husband didn't have dementia, he had terminal brain cancer with similar issues.

His cell phone is a small flip phone. An iPhone is too complicated for him to learn at this stage.

I looked at the Alzheimer's Association website and at the website for the national association that deals with autism spectrum disorder. It seemed that a lot of the devices discussed on those websites functioned by setting geo-fences and then sending an alarm when the boundary was breached. ETA: will look at links above. Thanks.

Dear Neighbor (DN) is looking for something that will show DNH's (Dear Neighbor Husband) location. For example, if there were such a device, she could have discovered today that DNH was actually at XYZ organization and she would have been happy.

When my husband was alive, we used Family Locator by Life360. Don't know if it will work on your neighbor's phone.

You have to have the monthly service to use this one, and it's not cheap, but it is accurate (on locations), very easy to use the device and track. Spark Nano GPS Tracker

My father has Alzheimers and I have to ask - is Dear Neighbor's Husband still driving?

My father's diagnosis came at a very early stage, but thanks to the laws in his state (MA) he immediately lost his license. It was a shock to us, but in retrospect I'm so grateful because it forced us to begin devising a plan that ensured his safety and others, and wound up making him happier by giving him new social opportunities (he moved to a continuing care retirement community and lived independently but with lots of help until other medical issues arose.)

We honestly thought he was okay to continue driving in the small town where he'd lived for 45 years. But the neurologists explained that driving involves a ton of complex multi-tasking: looking in multiple directions, manipulating gas/brake pedals while also the steering wheel, listening for sounds that would alert you to potential dangers, etc. A brain in even the early stages of dementia cannot manage all this at once effectively, even in a small town on familiar streets.

Please forgive me for writing this soliloquy - perhaps it's not relevant to your neighbor's situation. But it may be that what your neighbor needs is not an app, but a personal aide or someone who can provide additional monitoring. During the interim before he moved, we arranged drivers for my dad through the local council on the aging. He was very proud and never would have done this willingly, but he also came to like the company!

bbstx, are you also babolton99?

Linelle, I discovered someone who had used my iPad this weekend had signed into Houzz and I was erroneously posting under her ID, so I deleted those posts.

Just saw this on my county Sheriff's Facebook page. See if this is offered in your area, and if not, why not.

"(For Immediate Release - Project Lifesaver Participant Located). On
Monday, January 25, 2016 at 5:21 p.m., (X) Police Department
requested (X) County Sheriff's Office assistance in locating a 79
year-old male missing from his residence. The missing person was a
participant in Project Lifesaver and suffered from a condition which
caused him to wander from his home without the ability to find his way
back. Project Lifesaver is a free program provided by the (X) County
Sheriff’s Office, which gives qualified individuals in need a wrist
band with an embedded radio frequency tracking signal. Deputies trained
to use Project Lifesaver equipment deployed the equipment at 6:20p.m.
and detected a signal from the missing person's wristband at 7:16 p.m.
The missing person was found 10 minutes later, about one mile from his
residence, walking along railroad tracks. (X) Fire and Rescue
checked the missing person and he was in good condition"

10 minutes!

Ten minutes! Impressive! I hope our neighbor is a few years away from having to involve law enforcement. Right now, the goal is peace of mind for his wife.

allison, have you ever used, or do you know someone who has used Spark Nano? It looks like a good option, if it is reliable.

There are several of these devices for dogs:

$79 whistle.com

The ad on the Whistle website is HILARIOUS! Thanks, gray. The device is certainly inexpensive enough and the service plan price is the best I've seen, but boy! does it get bad reviews on Amazon. 34% give it 5 stars and 42% give it 1 star. Are we expecting too much of these devices? Is the technology just not there yet to do what we think it ought to do?

Yes, I helped a family member us it. It is extremely accurate with location. The website was easy to use. It can be set to send information from a minute +, of course the minute uses more battery. The online map was very detailed, with street and store names.

My heart really goes out to family and friends dealing with loved ones slipping away. There is a couple at my church. He is 53 and survived Stage 3 colon cancer. However, now he has early-onset Alzheimer's that they believe was caused by the chemo that saved his life. He's a shadow of his former self. Very sad.

Thanks for that info, Allison.
Oh, Linelle, that is heartbreaking.

For a non-Alzheimer's person, my mom, we have GreatCall. It has an option and an app where you can track a person anywhere on your phone. It's a one button system, like a cell phone or med alert system, to a dispatch center, but is active anywhere they wander. You can also have it detect falls. The biggest complaints are size and battery life. If charging is going to be an issue, it may not be an answer.

Iphone 6 (Apple) has a built in GPS system and you can track him down via your phone. Just make sure the user will share his location (easy enough for you to program). What kind of phone does he carry?

DNH can't quite get the hang of an iPhone. He uses an old style flip phone. So, iPhone apps are out.

Gooster, I'll look up GreatCall.

I keep looking at reviews on Amazon and they are all so negative. I know that reviews are mostly posted when people are unhappy with a product, but all of the GPS tracking devices seem to get lots of negatives.