The Alabama Department of Public Safety’s State Troopers Project Lifesaver International presented a special program to a local group of Alabama Power retirees Wednesday afternoon at Musgrove Country Club in Jasper. The program for the Jasper-Area Energizers was an effort to raise more awareness about Project Lifesaver’s main focus, which is “to bring loved ones home.”

Tactical Flight Officer Cpl. Kent Smith told those who attended the luncheon that Alabama State Troopers are hoping to raise enough money through fundraisers to give a specially programmed Project Lifesaver bracelet to anyone in the state who would benefit from the program.

The bracelets, which feature a trackable radio signal that can help a search party find a lost Alzheimer’s victim within 15 to 30 minutes of a disappearance, cost $300 each, and the monthly battery replacement is about $2.

“This is something that tugs at your heartstrings,” Smith said. “This is about our parents and grandparents. Project Lifesaver provides a way to protect them, and investing in this program literally saves lives.”

Smith said about 70,000 Alabama residents suffer from Alzheimers, and time is critical when searching for someone who is lost and suffering from Alzheimers. Bracelets are also provided to the families of children with autism or Down syndrome.

“The average search for someone who has wandered away from home, especially an Alzheimer’s patient or child with autism or Down syndrome, lasts about nine hours, and costs taxpayers $300,000,” Smith said. “The survival rate drops to just 50 percent after one night, and some 36 percent of these victims are never found. The Project Lifesaver bracelet can change that outcome.”

Energizers State President Bob O’Daniel said the project is one that many Energizers members can relate to, and a cause they can believe in.

“Most of us can relate to this project — it’s a real jewel to support,” O’Daniel said. “And the membership is excited and committed to supporting Project Lifesaver.”

For more information on the project, visit www.projectlifesaver.org.