Fife is leading the way in efforts to give dementia sufferers a more independent life. For a number of months, as part of its wider Telecare programme, Fife Council's social work service, in partnershop with the region's health service and police, has been monitoring the benefits of using satellite tracking technology to trace dementia sufferers should they become disorientated.
Five people across Fife have now been given GPS as part of the pilot, meaning that family members, carers and even the police can quickly pinpoint the wearer if they become lost.
The matchbox-sized sensors enable a person with early-stage dementia to get out and about with the confidence that a family member or other carer can offer assistance if needed.
John Honeyman of Fife Telecare stated:
“I think it’s struck a chord with them that there could be a scenario where a member of their family is still physically active and is quite capable of going for walks, but there is a concern they could get lost.
“Carers or family members are saying they feel a lot better that their loved one has this device—it gives them peace of mind.
“It’s about enabling people to carry on doing the things in the community that they might otherwise feel a wee bit reluctant or scared to do.”
A sixth device is set to be issued in St Andrews soon and Mr Honeyman believes the pilot will throw up plenty of issues to discuss.
“You can do all the research and theory you like but you’re not going to uncover the foibles and issues that you would encounter without putting this into practice,”
“The next step is to carry out an interim evaluation to see how things are going and if we need to look at any glitches.
“Some of the things you can only find out in practice, such as how you make sure people carry the device or how you make sure they keep it on charge—it’s OK if people live with their carers and can be given a gentle reminder to take their GPS device with them but there are other situations where that might not be the case.”
While money is likely to be the biggest stumbling block to seeing such a project become more mainstream, Mr Honeyman believes the positives far outweigh any negatives and should be pursued.
“That’s certainly the hope of the Scottish Government—they have a vision that by fostering this type of technology and supporting projects in all authorities across Scotland, we will be able to make better use of our resources and frontline care staff so they can be targeted where the need is greatest,” he concluded.
What a great idea and an all round winner for the sufferer, family, carer and taxpayer. I know the stress dementia puts on families.
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