A location-monitoring bracelet developer has received a National Institutes of Health grant to study whether its device can detect agitation in seniors with dementia. The phase one trial will take place in a long-term care facility.

Using GPS technology, CareBand, Inc.’s, wearable device provides an individual’s near real-time indoor and outdoor precise location, movement, and activity data. In the study’s first phase, the company will test whether the bracelet can also recognize and predict agitation. Motion data will be collected for six weeks while facility staff records daily observation-based, validated agitation scale measurements.

CareBand’s aim is to provide socio-behavioral indicators of disease progression and present an analysis of activity patterns. Such information will help eldercare providers identify early changes in health conditions, the company said in a statement.