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Nurse dementia expert says she wants a tracking device under her skin

A leading dementia expert nurse has revealed she has asked her family to put a tracking device under her skin if she develops symptoms in later years.
june andrews

A leading dementia expert nurse has revealed she has asked her family to put a tracking device under her skin if she develops symptoms in later years

june andrews
Huge anxiety is caused when someone goes missing, says June Andrews. 
Picture: Nathan Clarke

A leading dementia expert nurse says she has asked her family to put a tracking device under her skin if she develops symptoms of the disorder in her later years.

Former head of dementia studies at Stirling University June Andrews, who now works independently, said she expressed the wishes to her 20-year-old daughter after giving her power of attorney. 

Professor Andrews believes tracking devices could save families anxiety and distress if their relative goes missing, as well as potentially save lives.

Huge anxiety

'I've signed over power of attorney to my daughter and I've said to her, when the time comes put a subcutaneous tracker in (a device not currently used in the UK),' she told the Herald newspaper.

'A huge amount of anxiety is caused when someone goes missing, to the person and the family. A huge amount of police money is spent on it, and in many ways it’s actually wasted time.

'The devices can also alert you if the person stops moving for a long time. You can have a movement sensor in it.

'If someone bumps into something or falls over, it alerts you. They are getting more and more sophisticated.'

Sensible response

She added: 'We know there’s a news story that says old people are being tagged like criminals.

'The general, the sensible response to that is to say actually it’s better than being hunted like a dog.'

The US-based Alzheimer’s Association estimates that 60% of people with dementia will wander. Even in the early stages a person can become disoriented or confused for a time, according to the organisation.

The Metropolitan Police recently launched a safer walking campaign, promoting body-worn tracking devices for people with dementia.

Sense of security

The aim is to help reduce the 44,000 missing persons cases it investigates each year.

Dementia UK chief executive and chief Admiral Nurse Hilda Hayo gave her backing to the police campaign, saying: ‘GPS can be reassuring and empowering for a person with dementia.

‘It can offer a sense of security and independence, thus reducing stress and anxiety for the person, as well as their carer.

‘The decision to use GPS technology should be based on the best interests of the person's safety, taking issues of privacy into account, and ideally having gained their consent.’

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