GPS tags for dementia patients

[FarCenter]

Police in Sussex hope to save hundreds of thousands of pounds by avoiding costly call-outs which can involve helicopters and several police officers.

However, the move was criticised by elderly care campaigners, who described the scheme as “inhumane”.

The head of adult services at East Sussex council pledged to launch an investigation. He said urgent questions needed to be asked because the tags could stigmatise the elderly and make them feel like criminals.

The tracking device can be worn around a patient’s neck, clipped to a belt or attached to a set of house keys. It features a button which enables the wearer to speak directly to an operator in a 24-hour call centre.

Family and friends can also log in to the system and monitor the whereabouts of their elderly relatives.

More than 100 local authorities are already using similar GPS devices to track people suffering from dementia in what is an increasingly profitable business.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10029205/GPS-tags-for-dementia-patients.html

[Earth_First]

1. ...and RFID's for the rest of us.

For 'targeted marketing' of course.

No thanks.

Of course this is in what is "an increasingly profitable business" rather than genuine public safety.

I'll pass.

[FarCenter]

2. I do know of a woman who wandered off and died of hypothermia before she was found

The reason that these are a business is the rather large expense of police manhunts for missing people.

[Earth_First]

5. It's unfortnate.

What's even more unfortunate is that we've lost our sense of community where a neighbor or friend would check in on an individual before this became an issue.

A business model for this is sickening.

[FarCenter]

6. She was living with her husband.

He fell asleep and she was gone.

[demosincebirth]

8. At least once a month, here in the Bay Area, there is an person with dementia that wanders

off and is missing for a couple of days. Luckily, so far, they have all been found as far as I know.

[FarCenter]

9. It's a mild climate -- not like Minnesota

[one_voice]

3. They're people...

not cars or wild animals.

My granny had alzheimers and surprisingly we didn't need a gps tag to keep her safe.

What's wrong with people.

[Iggo]

7. Yeah! What's wrong with people?

Yeah! Yeah! YEAH!

[NightWatcher]

4. Sounds like a good idea for those that may need it

[DURHAM D]

10. I have absolutely no problem with this.

Both of my parents (and several other ancestors) had dementia. Once they were living in a memory unit they wore watches which sounded an alarm if they got too far afield.

To be honest if we could have placed tracking devices on them earlier everyone who was providing care and watching over them could have had somewhat more of a life and we (the children) could have delayed moving them into what my father called "the jail" because losing them became our greatest concern.

Anyone who thinks the tracking device is a bad idea has not been responsible for taking care of a parent with Alzheimer's, particularly a parent who is otherwise physically healthy.

[tularetom]

11. Slippery slope slippery slope fear paranoia!!1!

They're gonna implant us all at birth with a chip so they can know everything we do and keep track of us.

And this is just a dry run to see how it will work. Nobody would object to tracking elderly people with dementia and once they have their foot in the door, it's just a matter of time.

Well, I'll tell you whoever is assigned to watch me is going to be one bored motherfucker.