Electronic tags for patients with dementia ‘is invasive’

Electronically tagging people with dementia could lead to “abuse and stigma”, even though it could also help ensure their safety, according to the author of a new dementia strategy being published today.

Charles Scerri, Malta Dementia Society co-founder, yesterday said that although assistive technology could help facilitate care for patients, the use of tags was “invasive”.

“Although the technology could enhance the freedom of movement of those diagnosed with dementia, it does not necessarily sit well with a person’s right to self-determination,” he said.

Dr Scerri was contacted for his reaction to a proposed project that would test the viability of tagging memory loss patients.

The proposal was put forward on Tuesday by criminologist Saviour Formosa, who said searching for dementia patients who wandered off was often a heavy burden on law enforcement.

Dr Formosa had said at least one person would go missing every day by 2025 due to an increase in mental health problems.

He said more than a quarter of the island’s population would be aged 70 and over in 10 years’ time and some 10,000 would have acute memory loss.

Dr Scerri, however, called for caution when considering such a move, insisting tagging was “a very sensitive matter that requires wide consultation”.

If it is approved, however, Malta would not be the first to adopt the technology. More than 100 UK authorities are already using GPS devices to track patients in what is an increasingly profitable business.

The tracking device can be worn around a patient’s neck, clipped to a belt or attached to a set of keys. It features a button which enables the wearer to speak directly to an operator in a 24-hour call centre. Family and friends can also log in to some systems and monitor the whereabouts of their elderly relatives.

Hundreds of thousands of pounds are saved each year by avoiding costly call-outs, which can involve helicopters and several police officers.

However, in some locations the move has been criticised by elderly care campaigners who described the scheme as “inhumane”.

Dr Scerri said the matter was currently being discussed by an EU working group, of which he formed part, and they did not appear to agree with the use of such technology.

He said its introduction raised questions such as to the validity of the consent given by the user: “What happens if you have consent one day and not the other, as can be the case with people with dementia?”

He also questioned whether the technology would be limited to those with memory loss or extended to other learning and cognitive difficulties.

The dementia intervention team

A dementia intervention team will be set up as part of a new strategy being introduced today, Times of Malta can confirm.

The new strategy is an updated version of one drafted back in 2010. The document also unveils the setting up of dementia friendly communities, a proposal already put forward last year by the report’s author Charles Scerri.

Efforts will be made to inform neighbours and relatives about how to help dementia patients living nearby.

Training sessions for persons working in the elderly sector have already started being held.