Japan's new portable tracker for dementia patients aims to find them quickly if they wander off

A large Japanese security company has an ambitious plan to arm thousands of dementia-stricken elderly folks with a portable, thumb-sized tracker, in hopes of getting them safely home if they get lost.

The country's Sohgo Security Services (also known as Alsok) has handed out 2,000 of its Mimamori tags to some 10 cities in Japan.

The tags, to be carried by the elderly, will work with a companion app via Bluetooth, which can send location data over to nursing home staff or family members.