Sam has epilepsy, is non-verbal and has autism. He would abscond from his home or parents whenever he felt overwhelmed, anxious or upset. His parents were increasingly worried whenever he disappeared in case he had a seizure and his lack of awareness of danger.
The challenge
Conwy Borough Council had considered and tried other GPS devices, however Sam often forgot to take his mobile phone when he left the house, so they weren’t appropriate. When his mum mentioned he was obsessed with watches and his ordinary watch had just broken, Conwy were able to introduce the Careium 480 GPS watch easily and smoothly.
The solution
Sam absolutely loved the watch and the fact he was able to use the button functions to call his parents when he was anxious or upset. On a family holiday to the French Alps Sam suddenly ran off as soon as they reached the summit of the mountain.
His mum could not find him anywhere after searching for an hour and quickly alerted the mountain rescue team, worried as the terrain was very dangerous and it was a very hot day. She quickly logged onto her phone and was able to track where he was. With assistance from the mountain rescue team they were able to locate him accurately, sitting next to a reservoir half way down the mountain. His mum is forever grateful that he was wearing the watch and the mountain rescue team were very impressed with it. Over the 6 weeks holiday in France, he absconded several times and his parents were able to quickly locate him.
They have said that the device is invaluable to them and cannot imagine how things could have turned out if he wasn’t wearing the watch.
