Police use GPS trackers to find people with dementia (UK)

According to a BBC TV report (may not be viewable outside the UK), Sussex Police has become the first force in Britain to pay for GPS tracking to help people with dementia. They are using the £27/month Mindme device.
UPDATE 2 May: Mike Clark on the 3millionlives LinkedIn group has pulled together links to items that are appearing in response to the above BBC report. For readers without access to the group they are from the Guardian; the Telegraph, the BBC and the Alzheimer’s Society. Judging by the comments on the Guardian article, the National Pensioners Convention badly misjudged the public mood on this one, and their press release muddles the issues of service funding, who should be responsible for people with dementia, and social isolation.

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Comments

  1. Robin Ollett

    I wonder whether there would have been as much concern from Alzheimer’s Society and the National Pensioners Convention if had it not been the police who were providing these locators. The descriptions of providing this service as “inhumane” and “barbaric” and equating the dementia sufferer with a offender who has been tagged are a little unfair on the police and Chichester Careline. Use of this type of equipment should be governed very firmly and consent from families and service users(where possible) should always be sought and I’m sure that Sussex Police and Chichester have obtained this consent properly. I agree that use of this equipment should not replace proper face to face care and not be used solely in order to save money but if there is technology which can provide both reassurance and save time it should be welcomed.