Exploring the Use of GPS for Locating Persons with Dementia

The study “Trygge spor” is exploring the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to locate persons with dementia. The overall objectives have been to assess the deployment of technology and services facilitating safety and security for people with dementia, family caregivers and professional caregivers. 55 persons with dementia and their caregivers participated in the impact study, and have been using GPS when performing outdoor activities as part of their daily activities during the evaluation period of eleven months. A commercially available GPS was provided to the participants. This paper describes the study design and discusses the findings with reference to persons with dementia and their caregivers. The study reveals that using GPS for locating persons with dementia provided increased safety for all stakeholders, including persons with dementia, family caregivers and professional caregivers. Persons with dementia might maintain their autonomy and continuing their outdoor activities despite the progression of the disease and they could enjoy their freedom. A precondition for successful implementation of GPS locating persons with dementia is to properly assess the user needs, identify appropriate technical solutions and discuss the ethical dilemmas in order to select the least intrusive intervention. Furthermore it was experienced that collaboration between persons with dementia, family caregivers and professional caregivers are important for successful implementation of GPS for locating persons with dementia. It is advisable to further include persons with dementia and their caregivers in the process of developing appropriate devices and services for persons with dementia. More research is needed in order to evaluate the long term impacts and how to implement technology and services for locating persons with dementia as part of the regular services provided by public health care providers.