Alzheimer’s disease affects 5.3 million people in America today and even more friends and family members.

The scary realization of being lost can happen frequently, but for residents in Dallas County that worry their loved one will get lost, the Dallas County Sheriffs Department has a solution.

Since 2005 Sheriff Harris Huffman has been working with Project Lifesaver to provide trackers for Alzheimer’s patients and the Pilot Club of Selma has helped.

On Tuesday, the Pilot Club donated $1,200 for Project Lifesaver.

“Over the six years we have done this program we have served 28 different clients,” Deputy Sherriff Steve Tidwell said. “There have actually been five separate cases that we were required to use the trackers and all five clients were found and returned within 30 minutes.”

The cost of the trackers is $300, so the Pilot Club and Vaughn Regional Auxiliary’s donations will enable the department to buy four additional trackers.

“The Pilot Club has always been involved with head injuries and prevention,” Patricia Tharp, president of the Pilot Club in Selma, said. “With Alzheimer’s being along those lines, we knew we could really help out when this program started.”

Since the 2005 creation the Pilot Club has helped, but this year was the first year the “Pink Ladies” of Vaughn Regional Medical Center also contributed.

“It’s our statewide program,” Shirley Pugh, president of Vaughn Regional Auxiliary said. “When we saw the Pilot Club was looking for someone they could match funds with, I thought ‘This is great.’”

The trackers are by order from the Sheriffs department, according to Tidwell and have the latest technology available.