GPS ‘tag’ helps relatives track dementia sufferers

Satellite technology is being used to help track Scots with dementia and stop them getting lost.

Two women aged in their 70s have recently been given GPS devices in Edinburgh to help give them freedom while providing peace of mind for their families, officials said.

City of Edinburgh Council, which has developed the service, said the aim was to help people get out and about in their communities by reducing the risk of them becoming lost or getting into difficulties.

Dementia campaigners yesterday welcomed the technology, which has been used by councils elsewhere in the UK, and said it would help people maintain their independence.

As part of the scheme, small electronic devices are worn on the wrist or carried in pockets and trigger an alert to a call handling centre if the user goes out of a pre-determined area.

Council officials said it meant relatives and friends could identify where their loved-ones are and ensure they are not in trouble.

One of the women involved is a 76-year-old from north Edinburgh who was diagnosed with dementia over three years ago.

She recently went missing from her home, sparking a police operation to find her, and was later found two miles away.

Her husband said: “We now have the security of knowing that my wife can go out and about in the neighbourhood and we have peace of mind because we know where she is.”

The other woman, aged 78, has had dementia for two years.

Councillor Paul Edie, the leader on social care issues for the local authority, said: “The families of the older people using the devices have told us about the dramatic differences they are having in their daily lives. They have a greater peace of mind knowing that their loved one is safe whether it’s in their own home or being out and about in the local area.”