Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

This is in today's Independant
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/pol...cle2463507.ece

There are few compensations to getting old but the right to be accepted as an eccentric is one of them.
We have all heard some sad tale from distraught relatives relating how grannie was found wandering the streets in her nightie in the small hours, but tagging seems a bit 'over the top'.
If I decide to go bungie jumping off Sydney harbour bridge without informing my relatives beforehand I do not expect to be stopped at the airport and be subjected to a psychriatric assessment. This could assist relatives in preventing you spending 'their inheritance' :)
I saw Altzheimers in action in my late father and can sympathise with any of you who are having the same problems - but tagging!!! - a step too far don't yoou think?

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

The link doesn't seem to work, just checked and I can't get the Independent site up as well, so perhaps it's down temporarily.

I also had a friend who had Alzheimer's, and it is very worrying when they wander off, however I too think tagging is a bit extreme.

The only old person who should be tagged on her release is the the old lady on the ASBO, who was recently jailed for her terrible anti-social behaviour.:D

http://www.guardian.co.uk/crime/arti...059157,00.html

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

I tried my link and its OK.
I agree about the old ASBO lady.
Tags are for criminals (and dogs) and she is one (criminal I mean :) )

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

Link working for me too now.:)

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

I can see the reasoning behind it. I have a friend whose father has Alzheimers and although they try to watch him he sometimes gets out and gets lost which is very worrying for the whole family, especially her mother who herself is in poor health. He is very strong and gets angry with people 'imprisoning' him and also accuses them of having kidnapped his family. He doesn't recognise them as his family. It's awful.

I also remember a lovely little old lady who used to live across the road from us. She used to wander off and get lost and many times I brought her back home again when I found her. She wanted to go home but just didn't know how to get there and every time she would ask me who I was and where I lived and if I'd gone a long way out of my way to take her home. She really should have been in a nursing home or sheltered accommodation but flatly refused. In the end she burned herself to death cooking. Chip pan I think. I remember thinking what an awful end and if only she'd been looked after somewhere. :(

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

oh i just dont think its fair that we should lose our marbles when we get older... but then life isnt always fair.....:(

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

I've got my marbles in a glass jar on the windowsill. ;)

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

thats where i put my teethhttp://www.improveyoursmile.co.uk/as...antillu302.jpg

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

I agree it is most distressing for family to see a loved relative deteriorate mentally. Our society needs to provide more sheltered accommodation. Especially since our population is due to have a greater percentage of very old people.
I am concerned that the present poorly regulated nursing home provision is an excuse to abuse and profit from the elderly. I visited many local homes (my work), albeit 20 odd years ago, (hope they are better now), and I would choose euthanasia rather than that, (if I was mentally still capable of making a choice.)

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

If you've experienced the sheer panic of 'losing' an elderly person (or a younger person with alzheimers for that matter) because they've left the house and no one knows where they are then you'll understand the severity of it. I don't think this article means tagging all old people, just vulnerable ones who are suffering some sort of mental impairment.

I've seen it happen a few times - one old lady left her house without a coat on in winter and didn't take her keys with her. The neighbours alerted the family when they saw her leaving but by the time the family had got there ten minutes later she was nowhere to be seen. They set off looking for her and eventually found her, extremely cold in the local park - she'd got lost and couldn't find her way home.

Another, who lived with her husband, let herself out of her house late at night whilst he was in the kitchen and she tried to walk all the way across Blackburn in her nighty to the house she lived in when she was a child.

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

My father was found wandering the corridors of sheltered housing in his pyjamas, but he couldn't get outside so came to no harm - (just gave a few liitle old ladies a surprise :) )
Later, in contrast, my mother was put in a nursing home (by my brother without consulting me) due to physical illheath. She was mentally very alert to the end, but spent 2 years in 2 homes (both bad ones) - a sadder way to end life.

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

question ....if they were so bad why didn't you do something ?

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

Has anybody seen my tag? I'm sure I was wearing it when I came out but, well, you know how it is.........:confused:

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

We moved her once when we found out they were not catering for her diabetes- 2nd place was better but she was the only one there with her mental faculties. My home was tiny with a steep staircase. He had emptied her flat within 7days of her leaving it. His wife didnt want her in their 3 bedroomed bungalow, and I had no means to buy one.

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

Sorry Margaret, for the tone of the previous post, it wasn't meant to be offensive, hope you didn't take it that way ( a case of mouth before brain) , as previous poster said dealing with what to do with an increasing aging population is something that should be being looked at now . It seems to me we are extending the physical lifespans thru new medicines and stuff but I dont think we have are having the same success with extending mental facalties (old age senility) .

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

Well i dont care what some jumped up minister says NO ONE is putting atag around my dads leg. these things were brought out to try and control the scouts no are nearest and dearest:mad:

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

I can just imagine what my mother's reaction would have been if you'd tried to put a tag on her. She lived alone for 16 years, after my dad died, and though her body deteriorated her mind was as sharp at 91 as mine is now.

She had to have carers in her last few years, which incidentally she had to pay for, as she had severe arthritis and couldn't manage cooking and cleaning (though nothing ever really got dirty) and eventually found it difficult to dress herself without help. The one thing she never lost was her dignity. She refused, point blank, to even contemplate leaving her home. Even selling the house and buying a bungalow nearby was not an option she would consider - she got a stair-lift instead. It was my sorrow, and my guilt, that I lived too far away from her to be able to take care of her in the way I would have liked to but I couldn't move to her location and she wouldn't move to mine.

We tend to forget that even those who suffer severe dementia have their lucid times and knowing that their faculties are often impaired, as many of them do, is distressing for them. Though it might be done with the best of intentions the imposition of being tagged could cause a great deal distress to an old person. They may be physically infirm, they may be mentally confused, but is that any reason to take away their dignity? Never mind tagging, we (the country) should spend more money on providing care for them and protecting and cherishing them as they once did for us.

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

I ment scroots not scout:confused:

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

My Mum is bad on her legs, and we, the family have tried numerous times to get her to move somewhere that would be easier for her......but she refuses point blank. All her memories are in her house... She may be physically frail but she is as sharp as a pin......she wants to live out her life in her own way, doing what she wants when she wants. Who are we to compromise the dignity of our old people...just because they are old.
I would ask the science minister if that is what he wants for his parents...and I bet you any money he will say no...he probably has the money to have his folks cared for professionally.

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

Willow , I wasn't aware that the implanted chips worked as a tranmitter, I thought they were used on 'lost' animals as a way of identifing ownership only after the animals has been picked up and scanned at the animal shelter, think simlar technology is being implemented by various militarys around the world in troops to quickly identify blood group etc. in case of battlefield injury ( various elite German divisions did something similar in WW2 , but they tattooed the blood group under the arm-pit)

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

Well, Tags won't stop your loved one from getting into some pretty unsafe situations...so you might be able to find them, but that doesn't automatically mean they will be safe if the wander around.....especially if the wandering around is done after dark. My mother in law had some form of demential and was found at the Co-op in Clayton in the middle of the night..she was in her night dress, it was the middle of winter, nothing on her feet...she wanted a pint of milk....even though there was milk in her fridge. In the end for her own safety we were compelled to put her into residential care....it was heart breaking, and in her moments of lucidity she was upset that she was no longer in her own home. I don't know what the answers are, especially as the population is increasingly elderly. I just know that I would not want to be tagged.....I associate tagging with bad lads.

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

I can see the merit of the idea in certain circumstances, but we would be better off providing better care in the first place. Things like this and other ideas like Tele Care aren’t the answer.

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

Hello is that the police tag line?
(recorded voice) Hello you have contacted the police tag line if the person you wish to trace is a neighbour, PRESS 1.

If the person you wish to trace is a relative that you are only mildly concerned about PRESS 2.

If the person is known to disappear for days on end and comes back smelling of beer, DON'T PRESS ANYTHING IT'S YOUR HUSBAND, YOU NEED RELATE!

If the person has gone missing with one of our tags and we don't manage to find them you will be responsible for reimbursing the full cost of the missing piece of equipment, PRESS 3........hello? HELLOOO? No they've rung off again!:D

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

personally after the day at work I have just had......I say TAG them ALL and stick em with ASBO's :D

Or TAG me!! so at least when I am being battered in a corner people can find me lol.

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

Don't forget that a tight fitting ankle tag might result in a deep vein thrombosis for an elderly relative.

Something like this sporty helmet, would lessen the risk, and still allow you to monitor the movements of a loved one.

http://home.online.no/~la9ex/Technic/helmet%20cam.jpg

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

I thought you'd already had a tag? :eek: **** don't tell me you are walking around free.......:D

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

Yes I was......I don't pay to walk around!! people pay me to do that :D:D

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

Yes, I'm still waiting for my refund.........:p

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

What kind of better care do you suggest?

Maybe we should all be tagged so that we can be found if we get lost. Remember the child that went missing not long ago? It's panic stations for parents when they can't find a child. OK it I understand that it may not prevent someone getting into danger but if it cuts down on the hours of worry by helping to find someone sooner............ I suppose we'll never agree on it any more than people agree on the need for elderly relatives to be in sheltered housing etc. I'd just personally rather be safe than sorry.

Re: Tag elderly people, says science minister
 

That's made my day. Brilliant! :D