{"id":3653,"date":"2018-10-30T20:25:09","date_gmt":"2018-10-30T20:25:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/safeguardinghub.co.uk\/?p=3653"},"modified":"2018-10-30T20:25:09","modified_gmt":"2018-10-30T20:25:09","slug":"vulnerable-missing-people-assistive-and-gps-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/safeguardinghub.co.uk\/vulnerable-missing-people-assistive-and-gps-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"Vulnerable Missing People – Assistive and GPS Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We live in a gadget driven age with almost daily developments in smart technology. In some cases, these advances enable people living with dementia, debilitating conditions or mental health problems, to extend the period that they are able to live independently. New tech has also proved a valuable tool in keeping vulnerable people safe, particularly reducing risk to people who may wander and subsequently go missing. \u00a0Whilst wandering can be beneficial to a person, inevitably some people do get lost. They can quickly become disorientated, confused and unable to navigate properly. This will undoubtedly lead to anxiety, fear and potentially panic. Once lost, they are in danger of injury and even death from falls, accidents, exposure or lack of nutrition and fluids.<\/p>\n

Where missing people are concerned, Assistive Technology (AT) can aide us with adopting a problem-solving approach in preventing a person from going missing in the first place. GPS technology enables families, carers and social care professionals to put in place a method, which allows a person to be traced or tracked, when there is a real concern that they may go missing. GPS also provides law enforcement and search agencies with a valuable tool in locating a missing person quickly and safely.<\/p>\n

Whilst AT and GPS are different, there are certain devices that carry out a dual role, such as GPS trackers with a \u2018geo-fence\u2019 capability, which once activated alert a carer when a person exits a pre-set area. Both AT and GPS technology are not without their doubters and critics. There is the inevitable huge debate on a \u201cright to privacy\u201d. In this article we look at how AT and GPS have a place in safeguarding missing people, potential benefits, disadvantages and the ethical considerations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Based on the 1999 \u2018Royal Commission on Long Term Care\u2019 report, the Alzheimer\u2019s Society describe assistive technology as: \u201cany device or system that allows an individual to perform a task that they would otherwise be unable to do or increases the ease and safety with which the task can be performed\".<\/p>\n

The types of assistive technology available to those living with dementia and other medical conditions are fairly wide ranging. They include: - smoke, fall and flood detectors, alarms and \u2018telecare\u2019 services. However, in this article we concern ourselves purely with the technology that helps reduce wandering and missing. These types of technology include:<\/p>\n

Preventative:<\/strong><\/p>\n