Will GPS Tracking Keep The Elderly Safe?

81 Year-Old Woman Found Frozen To Death

An elderly woman suffering from Alzheimer's Disease wandered away from her home at some point late Saturday night or early Sunday morning and froze to death in the street. The woman, who was wearing nothing but her night gown, was found by local Cartierville police at 7:00 a.m. where she was quickly pronounced dead on the scene. Suffering from a degenerative mental illness, the woman entered the -20 degree temperatures and could not find her way back home before the weather was able to do it's damage. Sadly, wandering and becoming lost is a very common characteristic of people suffering Alzheimer's Disease, and that is why many people have been discussing a mandate that would require sufferers of the disease to wear GPS tracking systems.

The woman's son, who was sleeping in the next room, noticed his mother was missing shortly after 4:00a.m. At that point he began to search for her for approximately one hour before phoning local law enforcement to report her missing. By the time police were able to locate the woman she was already dead. However, what if she was wearing a GPS tracking system? What if her whereabouts could have been accessed in seconds via the tracking system technology?

GPS tracking systems allow caregivers the ability to find patients suffering with Alzheimer's Disease with only a few clicks of a mouse. The real-time tracking system data is accessible online, and the GPS systems allow caregivers to set up virtual boundaries around a patient's house or care facility, allowing caregivers to be notified by phone if the patient leaves or enters the area. There is a great stress and burden many caregivers feel monitoring people suffering with Alzheimer's because of the wandering tendencies, but GPS tracking systems may be able to relieve some of that stress by providing additional security and peace-of-mind.

Marguerite Blais, the Quebec Minister for Senior Rights, said she would review information related to GPS tracking seniors, and that it may prove to be a solution in the near future, but only if the tracking system technology is used in a way where patient's rights are respected.

Source: Examiner