4 Best GPS Trackers for Dementia Patients (2025 Review)

After comparing and testing a dozen GPS trackers, we believe the Tranquil Watch is the best option for quickly locating dementia patients. It covers all the bases by alerting caregivers to a possible home exit and tracking the wearer's movements through GPS for a quick recovery.

It also boasts a one-week battery life, fully waterproof design, and a classic analog watch face in four colors. We also like its tamper-proof wristband, which prevents it from being removed and discarded.

That said, the Tranquil Watch does have a higher upfront cost than other options. We've rounded up a few other GPS trackers ideal for people with Alzheimer's or dementia to help you find what works best for you.

The Tranquil GPS Watch is our pick for the best GPS tracker for dementia because it was clearly designed to accommodate common dementia symptoms.

For example, people with dementia sometimes remove other devices, like medical alert necklaces, because they don't remember what the device is for and they perceive it to be a nuisance. Of course, it's impossible to track someone once they remove their tracker. To address this, the Tranquil Watch features a locking strap that can only be undone with a special key.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Below, we'll highlight other unique features we love about the Tranquil Watch.

• Go ahead and buy the Tranquil Watch if money is no object and your loved one has a history of wandering. 
• Keep shopping if you need to keep costs low. 

The Tranquil Watch was designed by someone with first-hand experience caring for a family member with dementia, and their compassion and knowledge shines through in its design.

For starters, the Tranquil Watch is the only GPS tracker on the market that can instantly alert caregivers to a potential home exit. The watch uses Bluetooth to connect to "beacons" scattered around the home. Bluetooth devices can only connect to each other when they're no more than 33 feet apart, so when the Tranquil Watch gets too far away from a beacon, the Bluetooth connection breaks and an alert goes out via call, text, or email.

This quiet alert system prevents the person from dementia from being startled by a loud noise like an alarm. Sometimes noises can cause greater confusion and agitation in someone with dementia, so this is yet another thoughtful design from the Tranquil team.

A second layer of protection is available through geofencing or safe zones. Geofencing allows you to put a digital boundary around your home and to receive alerts whenever the Tranquil Watch crosses that boundary. The drawback of geofencing is that the boundary's radius can be about 10 times longer than the Bluetooth beacon's radius, and false alarms are more likely.

In many other devices, a safe zone notification would be the first alert a caregiver would get, and by that time the person with dementia could be more than a 100 feet away from the house. We like the Tranquil Watch's Bluetooth alerts because they're so much faster, but geofencing alerts are a nice backup. 

In the event your loved one gets lost while wearing the Tranquil Watch, you can track their location in real time through the app and place a two-way audio call to the watch. The call is automatically picked up so you can talk to your loved one or to someone who may be attempting to assist them.  

The Tranquil Watch battery lasts about one week, which is impressive for this kind of device. It's completely waterproof, so there's no need to remove the device for showering or bathing.

Finally, we have to mention the overall look of this watch. It's absolutely classic and looks nothing like other wearable devices for seniors. In fact, your loved one may already have a watch that looks just like it. This familiar design means it's less likely to cause confusion for someone with dementia. It comes in four colors, including rose gold, so you can choose something that suits their style. 

The Tranquil GPS Watch ships to you for free in two days and has a 12-month warranty plus a 30-day risk-free trial.

Our team tested the Tranquil Watch's reliability and ease of use. Our tester set it up, wore it 24/7, used the app, and set off alerts.

As it turns out, the watch is pre-programmed before it ships, so setting it up couldn't be any easier. And although it looks large, the watch is actually lightweight and comfortable enough to sleep in. Indoor GPS tracking was hit or miss, but that tends to be the case with all of the GPS trackers we've tested over the years—and one of the reasons we love the Tranquil Watch's use of Bluetooth. If you had to depend solely on GPS data and geofencing, you might get a lot of false alarms.

One big thing that's missing from the Tranquil Watch is fall detection. However, we get the impression this watch is designed for people who need a significant amount of in-home dementia care. If they were to fall, an in-home caregiver should be able to help them right away. In contrast, fall detection devices are designed for people who often spend time alone. 

Learn more in our full Tranquil Watch review.

Medical Guardian's on-the-go products are ideal for people who are in the early stages of dementia, live independently, and haven't experienced significant cognitive declines. It gives them 24/7 access to professional monitors at the push of a button, and caregivers can use an app to locate them if they get lost. 

• Go ahead and buy a Medical Guardian device if your loved one hasn't experienced significant memory loss or cognitive decline but is at risk of falling or wandering.
• Keep shopping if you need a device with geofencing for timely caregiver alerts.

Although Medical Guardian's mobile products include reliable GPS tracking, they aren't necessarily designed for people with dementia. They can easily be removed by the wearer and they don't provide alerts to caregivers.

Instead, these devices are mostly useful for people who can remember to push the button if they ever got lost or confused, which is why we recommend them for people in the earliest stages of dementia. Medical Guardian products are also good for people who are at risk of falling and don't have an in-home caregiver.

A professional monitoring center fields all calls placed by the device, and there's no penalty for false alarms, which may happen if your loved one forgets what the device is for. Monitoring center agents call 911 or a caregiver based on the situation, use GPS data to direct first responders to the person's location, and stay on the line until help arrives. 

Three Medical Guardian products include GPS tracking:

• The MGMini is a lightweight medical alert necklace that comes in several colors and has a 5-day battery life. Because it stays out of the line of sight, someone with dementia may not remember to use it.
• The MGMove is a smartwatch with a touchscreen and a 24-hour battery life. Because it's a little more complicated to use, it may cause confusion. 
• The MGMini Lite is worn on the wrist, but it's not a smartwatch. Its battery lasts up to 3 days, and because it's more likely to be in the line of sight, people with dementia may be more likely to remember to use it.

Learn more in our full Medical Guardian product guide.

AngelSense is a small device that attaches to your loved one’s clothes or waistband, using locking pins to stay in place. The pins can't be removed without a special tool. However, there's one downside to this approach that still makes the Tranquil Watch the better option in our opinion—if someone with dementia wants to discard the device, they can simply remove the piece of clothing it's attached to.

Still, there are several things we love about using  AngelSense for people with dementia. We'll get into it below. 

• Go ahead and buy AngelSense if your loved one is at a high risk of wandering and you want as many tools at your disposal to help search for them.
• Keep shopping if you need a device that can't be removed (try Tranquil Watch).

Like the Tranquil Watch, AngelSense allows caregivers to place a call to the device, and the call is automatically answered. This lets you talk to your loved one or to people nearby, or to listen to what's going on in the background regardless of whether they're able to answer your call.

Your loved one can also press an SOS button to get help if they're ever unsure about where they are or what's going on. Of course, as we mentioned earlier, they do have to remember that there's an SOS button to begin with. 

Caregivers can also set up safe zones in order to get notified whenever the device exits that digital boundary, but there's no way to make the boundary as small as a single home. Instead, boundaries are about half a block in diameter.

AngelSense was also designed as a GPS tracker for kids, so it uses artificial intelligence (AI) to learn the wearer's typical routine—like when they get home from school. After a while, it may recognize that your loved one is usually home most of the day, except for when they go for a walk in the morning or make their weekly grocery run on Wednesday, for example. 

If this routine is disrupted, caregivers get an alert. This can be a great way to keep an eye on someone in the early stages of dementia who can still live independently. It can also be a great tool for people in the later stages of dementia because it may alert you to a wandering episode. 

In addition, AngelSense has fall detection for an extra layer of protection. Whereas Medical Guardian's fall alerts are sent to a professional monitoring center to weed out false alarms, all AngelSense alerts are routed to the account's emergency numbers.

All other features aside, AngelSense's "Runner Mode" makes it one of the best GPS trackers for people with dementia. Once you activate Runner Mode in the AngelSense app, the device updates its location every 10 seconds. This lets you know exactly what route your loved one is taking so you don't waste any time finding them.

You can loop in friends or law enforcement for an all-hands-on-deck search. Once you share the emergency tracking link directly from the app, everyone can see the device's location.

You can also cause the device to emit an audible beep to help find someone who may be hiding. AngelSense also leverages Wi-Fi signals for accurate indoor location tracking.

Learn more about pricing and features from our full AngelSense review. 

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Theora Connect is a GPS watch with the same core features as Tranquil and AngelSense: an SOS button, auto-answer with two-way talk, geofencing, and an optional locking strap. It has a lower monthly starting fee, so it's a good option for people on a budget.

• Go ahead and buy Theora Connect if you're torn between AngelSense and Tranquil Watch and want a device that offers the best of both. 
• Keep shopping if you need a device with a generous battery or a free trial. 

On the downside, the Theora Connect battery lasts just 18 to 24 hours, so your loved one won't be protected for a period of time while it charges everyday. There's also no free trial, and Theora Care charges extra for activation. 

But it's not all bad news for Theora Connect—this GPS watch for people with dementia does have some unique features. It can pair with a door alarm to alert in-home caregivers to an elopement in progress. It also includes a pedometer, weather app, and changeable watch face. Fall detection is available for an extra $10 per month.

As with AngelSense, Theora Connect lets you loop in other caregivers in the app, giving your relatives or professional caregivers access to your loved one’s location. It’s a quick way to form search parties in your community.

We put a lot of thought into what makes the best GPS tracking device for someone with dementia. The main factors we landed on were comfort, a locking mechanism to prevent removal, a long-lasting battery for thorough protection, and reliable GPS tracking. Plus, we knew it would be important to find devices with plenty of tools for caregivers so they could receive timely alerts and find their loved one quickly.

We compared professionally-monitored and caregiver-monitored devices across more than 20 specs to find the best features and value. We also interviewed brand representatives and tested devices hands-on for comfort, reliability, and ease of use. Our primary author, Cathy Habas, also drew on her experience as a medical writer and her education in the field of gerontology to evaluate products from the perspective of someone with dementia. 

Learn more about how we approach reviews like this one on our methodology page.

Whether you’re caring for a parent, grandparent, or other family member with dementia, you don’t have to go it alone.

Technology like GPS trackers and medical alert watches can help you along the way, and our top pick is Tranquil Watch. But it's no replacement for support from friends, family, and community. The more help you have from the people around you, the better care you can provide for your loved one.

1. Dana Sparks, The Mayo Clinic, “Alzheimer’s: Understand Wandering and How to Address It,” November 2020. Accessed May 29, 2025
2. Natali Edmonds, Dementia Careblazers, “Know What To Do If Your Loved One Wanders Away,” April 2017. Accessed May 29, 2025
3. National Institute on Aging, "Coping With Agitation, Aggression, and Sundowning in Alzheimer's Disease," July 2024. Accessed May 29, 2025