Question 

My grandfather has gotten lost a few times walking home from the grocery store. This should not happen as the store is only a mile away and he has made the trip many times in the past. 

He has been delivered to the door by random strangers. What happens is that he starts out for home and simply cannot remember the way back. He is usually just standing on some street corner holding his package and looking bewildered. Some kind soul approaches him and discovers that he is lost. They figure out where he lives and walk him home. 

We are debating keeping him home and not letting him shop at all. Is sending him out with a cell tracker enough? 

Answer 

While you did not state such, I am assuming that your grandfather has some form of early dementia. He may be quite capable most of the time so you do not want to hamper his mobility or access to the community for as long as you can. 

Since this situation has happened more than once, it is time to take preventive action so that he can always be returned home.   

The first thing I would obtain for him is a medic alert bracelet. It should include his name, address, and the phone number of an emergency contact at a minimum. If he is always wearing that item, you are providing essential information to anyone that encounters him. If grandfather is accepting, you could add his diagnosis. 

One strategy that might be quite successful is to slip a tracking device into one of his shoes. Some people have slit the sole enough to insert it. If you are forced to establish something without him knowing, this solution might be a reasonable one. When he leaves the house, you simply follow him on his route via your phone. 

An additional option to consider is a simple cell phone for him. I am referring to a phone that is very, very easy to use.  You would want the kind where you just press pictures to reach someone whose face is familiar. On that cell phone, you add a tracking application. If he does not forget his phone or leave it somewhere, you would have the ability to see where he is at all times without having him reaching out to you or trying to describe his whereabouts. It is also a phone that he will be able to use much longer as his disease progresses. 

An obvious choice is to accompany him everywhere he goes. If he is with someone familiar, he will lean on them to remember the route, so he will safely return home. That may not be practical though and he could be resistant to the lack of freedom.   

With the technology available today, it is rather easy to be aware of where your grandfather is at all times, if desired. It is clearly time to install a safeguard or two to help him live his life with as little disruption as possible. For the time being, a device or two should assist you.