There is a new topic that seems to be polarizing dementia caregivers and it is the idea of using "electronic tagging" as a safety device for persons with dementia.
The Alzheimer's Society in UK is the group that recently published articles on the new electronic tagging technology such as global positioning devices, which allows caregivers to track a person with dementia and return the person to safety if needed. They say that using these devices is a balance between "...empowering people and restricting their movement." In the UK, they are calling the use of the electronic tags "safer walking technology" and one of the companies who is manufacturing the items has been endorsed by the National Health System. The device is attached to the clothing or carried by the person with dementia and if the person becomes lost, they can be tracked via satellite technology.
In the US, many facilities have been using something similiar to this for years as a further safeguard for clients with dementia. Over in the UK, the suggestion of the use of this technology is causing controversy ranging from civil liberty issues to demonstrating a stigma for dementia. The Alzheimer's Society in the UK has posted a talking points board for the public to give their thoughts on this new technology.
So what is your opinion on this subject? Should persons with dementia, whether at home or in a facility, be equipped with a small device that would allow for tracking safety if the person wandered away?
Personally, I think this idea is the best that anyone has come up with.
My Dad has walked away twice, and brought back by a neighbor who knows him.
My Dad is a nice looking gentleman, he dresses nice. He walks with a purpose, eventhough he pushes a walker. For the first five minutes, talking with someone who doesn't know him, he would seem just as normal as any other man his age.
I am not sure that anyone would ever stop to question him.
I try to do everything possible to keep him safe. But, the fact is, he still has a mind of his own, even if he is not always aware that he is in this day in time.
Thank You Sue!
Posted by: Kay Brewer | March 17, 2008 at 11:59 AM
Kay: Most caregivers that I've spoken to agree with you about the benefits of using technology to keep someone safe.
It is so true that a person with dementia may present as healthy and cognitively aware in the first few minutes of conversation. We have a number of residents in our facility that look and act exactly like visitors, making it easy for them to blend in and leave the building. Without electronic tagging, this could easily happen.
Kay, thanks again for your insights!
Sue
Posted by: Sue | March 18, 2008 at 06:14 AM
What a great idea. My father in law just died from complications from aging. He had dementia and was being cared for by his 90+ year old wife for years. She had to constantly monitor him because he would go out the door to do something and they would have to track him down. Think of the added relief it would give caregivers to know if someone did leave they could find them. We just had a situation here in CA where the husband of a woman took off while she was napping. It took days to find him. Luckily they did find him well.
Posted by: Linda | March 18, 2008 at 10:13 PM
Linda: That must have been so hard for his wife to deal with! Most people agree with you that the benefits of having a method of tracking someone outweigh any indignities to the person. Safety is an overwhelming concern to home caregivers of those with dementia and even taking a nap, can have deadly consequences.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.
Sue
Posted by: Sue Lanza | March 19, 2008 at 06:19 AM