Technology has its own benefits, one of them is for people with Dementia.
In a recent article by Hindustan Times:
“Pendant with QR code helped Colaba cops reunite a missing boy with family, I think it is a positive news for many families and caregivers.
A 12 year old boy with special needs had left home and took a bus from Worli to Colaba, unfortunately he got lost. He was unable to tell anything about his family nor about his destination. The police scanned the QR code found in his pendant and reunited him with his family.
Police gave credit to “Project Chetna” under which such specially made pendants with QR codes are distributed to people suffering from Memory Loss and Dementia.
Such a simple yet effective technology has been developed by a 24-year-old data engineer, Akshay Ridlan.
Akshay’s innovative solution has developed a QR code pendant that will end the woes and troubles of people prone to wandering due to Alzheimer’s disease, Dementia, Schizophrenia, or children with Autism.
The larger point of debate is, is QR code more effective than GPS tracking or both should be used simultaneously?
While on one hand AgeTech is crossing new frontiers but then, could there be a dark side to technology?
- Can it be used for criminal activities?
- How many Dementia people remove the pendant or device?
- What are the legal implications of installing, tieing such devices on people without their permission?
- What are the laws in India which govern use of such devices?
Since electronic tagging or electronic tracking is still in its infancy stage in India, in my opinion it is critical that a watertight case should be made so that no misuse of this technology happens and the vulnerable are safeguarded at all costs.
Though I am somewhat technically challenged yet as a layman a few questions tickles my grey cells:
- Should the QR code scanning trigger an alarm so that the family members get a SOS that the QR code has been scanned?
- While Air Tags is gaining popularity across developed countries, what is the effectiveness of them in India?
- What is the role Smart Tags can play in electronic tracking?
- While RFID solutions could also be explored but then I understand there are a lot of technological challenges with this solution.
As the Indian Aged Care sector opens up to International Standards, I strongly feel and believe that this entire arena of Elderly Care needs to be looked with a lense which can see beyond the next decade.
Pankaj Mehrotra