Is GPS Tracking the best way to ensure safety on our aging population?
The UK is becoming increasingly an aging population. The office for national statistics latest report shows that in 50 years’ time, there is likely to be an additional 8.6 million people aged 65 years and over. With this comes greater demands on health care services and retirement homes.
Dementia is a common challenge that is faced by the elderly, currently, there is 850,000 people with dementia in the UK, 225,000 will develop dementia this year, that’s 1 every 3 minutes.
Alongside dementia often comes, "Wandering". It's estimated that 40% of people with dementia get lost outside their home. Although, location tracking is becoming a popular choice to tackling this increasing problem, and it’s believed that in the next decade it will become a norm where almost everyone will be tracked.
"Wandering" is a known problem, its estimated that 40% of people with dementia get lost outside their home. Ref. The Guardian Newspaper
Many GPS tracking systems are already on the market, Distributors, couriers and delivery services use tracking devices that are installed on their vehicles. The idea of GPS tracking has now been incorporated to ensure safety within the elderly community. These devices often have an SOS button and listening feature, which can all be linked to call centres that offers 24 hours emergency response and allow relatives and caregivers to find them quickly and safety.
The basic system uses the phone’s roaming signal, which uses nearby phone masts to find the best signal. The phone’s position can then be calculated by multilateration. Most smartphones now use hybrid location systems for increased accuracy. This combines the cell-tower data with information from GPS satellite systems and, increasingly, from Wi-Fi networks. A GPS system works better in open countryside, but people moving around in buildings are easier to track via Wi-Fi.
While this may seem safe, questions arise about how ethical it is to track people. Does it strip them from their privacy? However, it could be argued that it helps vulnerable individuals be safer, a study showed that it increased the patient’s autonomy through allowing them to continue with their familiar routine and if in any danger immediate assistance would be given.
How it works
Send an Enquiry
Let us know what type of security system you need
We Find the Best Installer
Once we receive your enquiry, our team will find a reliable, certified security installer.
Receive Quotes
You will be contacted by a top-tier installer who will provide you with a detailed quote.
Install & Support
After selecting the right installer, they will carry out the installation, ensuring your system is fully functional.