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The video for this item now appears to be removed from the Fox website.
Fox (Detroit) does a nice piece on using the Lok8u device, distributed by LifeProtekt in the US, with a child with autism, emphasising the reduced stress for her parents. [Video may start with unrelated advert.]
Parents Devise GPS Device for Autistic Children: MyFoxDETROIT.com
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Editor in Chief:
Donna Cusano (See articles)
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Founder: Steve Hards
Telehealth and Telecare Aware posts pointers to a broad range of news items. Authors of those items often use terms 'telecare' and telehealth' in inventive and idiosyncratic ways. Telecare Aware's editors can generally live with that variation. However, when we use these terms we usually mean:
• Telecare: from simple personal alarms (AKA pendant/panic/medical/social alarms, PERS, and so on) through to smart homes that focus on alerts for risk including, for example: falls; smoke; changes in daily activity patterns and 'wandering'. Telecare may also be used to confirm that someone is safe and to prompt them to take medication. The alert generates an appropriate response to the situation allowing someone to live more independently and confidently in their own home for longer.
• Telehealth: as in remote vital signs monitoring. Vital signs of patients with long term conditions are measured daily by devices at home and the data sent to a monitoring centre for response by a nurse or doctor if they fall outside predetermined norms. Telehealth has been shown to replace routine trips for check-ups; to speed interventions when health deteriorates, and to reduce stress by educating patients about their condition.
Telecare Aware's editors concentrate on what we perceive to be significant events and technological and other developments in telecare and telehealth. We make no apology for being independent and opinionated or for trying to be interesting rather than comprehensive.
We believe we have the most advanced RF/GPS/Cellular solution available globally. The Vega/Urgentys solution has been very successful outside the U.S. and with our recent FCC certifications are available for sale to this market.
[i]Scott – I’ve deleted the rest of your comment as this is not the place for blatant adverts and many of our readers will be well aware of the Vega product. However, if any readers wish to view Everon’s Vega information (in English) they can follow this link: [url]http://www.everon.fi/en/products/hardwares/vega/[/url]
Editor Steve[/i]
Kids are great. I love kids. I have many (well 3 but feels like more). If I tell/ask them to do something then 9 times out of 10 for the under 12s they will do it. Above 12 it will be with extreme reluctance and a few under the breath comments. But they do it because I am their Dad – who they love and have to comply with, because I am Dad.
The same cannot be said for a child asking/telling a parent what to do. Because in the eyes of your Mum or Dad you are still a child and it is the parent that knows best…. I have seen and been there 1000s of times when this is attempted. Resistance, acceptance, compliance all mixed in with the outcome being that they will wear their pendant or they will lock their door on a night or they will eat three meals a day. At least that is what they say to basically shut you up.
When you are out the door off comes the pendant (about 1 in 10 people keep it on), door is flung open for some air and they go back to just having a sandwich because that’s all they fancy. Compliance for the avoidance of immediate confrontation.
GPS tracking is something relatives are crying out, and are willing to pay, for. However if the person who is required to wear it opts not to, then that is it.
Why would I wear something that looks like a watch when I already have a very nice watch thank you?
Why would I wear something that looks like a remote control?
I don’t need it because there is nothing wrong with my memory (early stages memory impairment).
At one point do we believe we need something like this? It could be similar to getting a security system in your house – you only got one after someone tried to get in. Equate this to someone getting lost and at the time never wanting to feel lost again and getting very upset about it. Get them some GPS. Yes but then because of their memory impairment forget they ever got lost and and then don’t see the need in this clunky device.
It is a need by a relative/friend/carer but that need is not shared by the person themselves which is where it will always fail.
Ask any person involved in Safeguarding that so long as it is done for the right reasons, it does not cause harm or distress, it is done with the cooperation and agreeance of all the interested parties (hopefully including the person themselves as much as is possible) and it is not abused then anything we do to assist people with a memory impairment (or anybody) is permissable within limits.
I really do believe that until we have invisible/implanted devices that can track our most vulnerable of citizens that the numbers using the systems will be handfuls and probably not the actual users that the systems would be of most benefit to.