April 02, 2009
GPS Tracking For Dementia Patients
The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust in the UK began a two-year project to evaluate the use of GPS devices to track dementia patients. The GPS systems are aimed at prolonging the length of time people can spend living in their own homes and also to monitor patients when they are outside.
The trackers, which will be worn by 20 patients and allow their movements to be monitored on a map via a secure website.The system can be set-up so that a carer can be alerted by a phone call or text if the patient goes outside a specific area.
According to the lead researcher, Dr Rupert McShane, approximately "30% of people with dementia get lost at some point and about 25% of them are locked in their houses by worried relatives. With the development of GPS technology, we think people with dementia might have more freedom to go out and they might be safer if they do go out, if it’s possible to know where they are if they get lost."
NHS Foundation Trust estimates that the device could save up to £8m if it reduced the number of people that were admitted to care homes or hospitals with dementia by 1%.
Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Posted by rsk at April 2, 2009 03:10 PM