Plea to implant micro-chip tracking tags on Alzheimer's patients
Pastor Dale Morgan
Plea to implant micro-chip tracking tags on Alzheimer's patients*
By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor
Last Updated: 12:04am GMT 27/12/2007
Elderly people suffering from Alzheimer's should be electronically
tagged and tracked by satellite, a UK charity has said.
The Alzheimer's Society is to propose the measure, adding that the
devices should be used only with a patient's consent.
Early tests of tagging systems have given mixed results with some
elderly people welcoming the fact they have more freedom while others
felt that it was intrusive.
Malcolm Wicks, the science minister, was criticised earlier this year
for calling for tagging for those with dementia, saying it would bring
some security and independence to a frail group of people.
However, civil liberties groups said it was a gimmick to replace
expensive care.
The Alzheimer's Society has produced a policy document on the issue and
called for more research into the effectiveness of tagging and CCTV
monitoring because patients, who often feel compelled to walk around,
get lost.
As many as 60 per cent of those with the condition may wander and 40 per
cent of them have become lost outside their homes.
Neil Hunt, the chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said: "We
know new technology is available and could offer benefits to people with
dementia and their carers.
"There is a careful balance to strike between empowering people and
restricting their movement and this technology can certainly never be
used as an alternative for high quality dementia care.
"We would like to see people with dementia and their carers joining the
discussion on safer walking technology and what role it can play in the
fight against a condition affecting 700,000 in the UK." The charity
believes that people should have access to tagging devices if it is
appropriate and if they want them.
Early decisions about the use of this technology could be made before
people reach the later stages of dementia.
A spokesman for the charity said tagging had been tried in some areas
and feedback suggested that more work was needed on the design of the
devices so they do not resemble criminal tags.
Patients have suggested a watch or necklace design would be more acceptable.
However, there is also the problem that if the device is removable they
may forget to wear it or take it off while they are out, making it useless.
One carer from Oxford who asked to be named only as Jo, said he would
welcome some kind of device for his wife who has wandered off before.
He said: "When my wife first wandered we were in London and I spent the
night sitting in a police station waiting for her.
If I could have had any way of finding her then it would have been
hugely valuable.
It is important to have devices which are practical and small enough to
have on you all the time."
The report by the Commission for Social Care Inspection earlier this
month showed that the elderly were often strapped into chairs, with
doors blocked to stop them wandering from care homes.
In the report, elderly people and carers were questioned on the issue.
Most were against tagging because of its connotations with criminals.
However, others felt it was the least restrictive option.