18 Oct Dementia and GPS Trackers
Having a loved one who is suffering from dementia is a heartbreaking experience. Each day, you watch them slip a little further away and their memories grow increasingly dim. Losing the memories that they have always held dear is just one of the issues individuals who have dementia struggle with. Getting lost is another serious problem for both the dementia sufferer and their caretakers.
It’s estimated that approximately 60% of individuals who have dementia will become lost at some point. The lack of short-term memory makes it impossible for them to find their way back home, even when they have lived at the same address for most of their life. The inability to return home is just one of the concerns. Many dementia patients are unable to make rational choices that would otherwise keep them out of trouble, as a result, they can step into fast-moving traffic, continue wandering further away and even enter dangerous environments. Since the dementia patient is confused, they often react fearfully when approached by concerned citizens and aren’t willing to approach a police officer and ask for help.
SIGNIS GPS tracking has resolved many of the problems connected to keeping dementia patients safe. The idea behind the GPS trackers isn’t to imprison the dementia patient or even to humiliate them. The whole purpose of the GPS tracker is to provide accurate, real-time information about the exact whereabouts of the dementia patient.
Care should be taken when choosing the type of GPS tracker that will be used for dementia patients.
First and foremost, the tracker shouldn’t make the person wearing it feel humiliated and shameful. The tracker needs to be discrete and comfortable. Wearing the tracker should not make the dementia patient feel like they are being punished for a condition that they couldn’t prevent.
The GPS tracker selected for dementia patients needs to be hard-wearing and reliable. The tracker needs to withstand water, bumps, and bangs. Not only should the tracker withstand daily wear and tear, but it also needs to keep accurately projecting a signal.
The tracker needs to provide accurate information that’s up to date. It’s not enough for the tracker to provide information about where the person wearing it has been. You need to be able to determine their exact location at any given time. This information has to be easy to gain access to and be completely accurate.
The final thing a GPS tracking system that’s being used for dementia patients must be is user-friendly. Every authorized person needs to be able to gain information about the patient’s exact location and also be able to quickly and easily share that information with the local authorities.