WanderSearch, a charitable trust, has experienced a significant 30% increase in requests for its tracking devices over the last six months, according to Canterbury programme manager Emma Parker. The devices are designed to help authorities locate vulnerable individuals, such as those with dementia, autism, or intellectual disabilities, who are at risk of going missing. Parker attributes the rise to growing dementia rates and recent high-profile cases of elderly people getting lost, which have drawn attention to the service. The trust currently supports about 170 people in the Canterbury region, with 20 to 30 searches referred to police annually for device users.