What’s the Best GPS Tracker for Elderly Parents?

Crucially, a tracker for elderly parents allows older people to have their independence while also ensuring they can be located if an accident or emergency occurs. It’s an important element of elderly risk management for seniors who are experiencing dementia, long-term medical conditions, or frailty due to older age.

In general, older people are just less resilient in terms of health, which makes it riskier for them to be out and about alone. They may grow tired more easily, suffer from extremes of temperature more easily, or suffer more harm from a small trip and fall than a younger person would. Weaker vision could make it more likely for them to get lost, and medication side effects could cause issues like dizziness or fainting, too.

Yet a sense of freedom and autonomy is crucial for older people to feel fulfilled and satisfied with life. Tracking technology allows them to have that freedom in a safer way. That’s because it ensures that an older person can always be found if they don’t return home on time.

Wandering or getting lost in older people with dementia is also a serious concern. Older parents with dementia might be in their hometown when they suddenly forget a familiar route home. Moreover, elderly people with more advanced dementia may go outside because they think they have to go to work. They might also get the urge to wander away for no particular reason. The outcome in all these cases is a lost parent and an anxious family.

All of these situations can be very stressful for both you and the older parent too. The distress can be even worse for elderly people who are no longer able to dial a phone or even explain to bystanders where they are meant to be.

Lastly, even if an older person doesn’t have dementia or a long-term health condition, their adult children might simply be worried for their welfare. They might feel comforted to know exactly where their older parent is and that they are safe.

How dementia trackers and personal tracking devices for the elderly are designed to help

Old people trackers and GPS-enabled personal alarms such as the SureSafeGo or Dementia Tracker use GPS signals to transmit an older person’s location to their loved ones or carer, preventing situations when adult children are searching for a lost parent. These devices are available as a tracking watch/bracelet.

A device such as an iPhone could also be used to track an older parent. However, one problem with the mobile phone method is that a senior can easily misplace their phone or forget to bring the phone with them.

In contrast, SureSafe’s dementia trackers for the elderly and personal alarms are wearable so they’re always with the older person they’re protecting. As mentioned, both the SureSafeGO and the SureSafe Dementia Tracker come in the form of a GPS tracking watch for the elderly that looks stylish on the wrist. The SureSafeGO also is available in the form of a talking pendant.

Moreover, the SureSafeGO and the SureSafe Dementia Tracker both include numerous additional features specially designed to protect and care for older people, including those with dementia.

It is important to note that there might be deprivation of liberty concerns around the use of an GPS tracker for the elderly and dementia sufferers. As set out in SureSafe’s terms and conditions, you are responsible for any deprivation of liberty safeguarding requirements when purchasing and using our devices. The decision to use this product is exclusively with you. We accept no responsibility for, and provide no advice on, the suitability of the product as it relates to deprivation of liberty and the relevant safeguarding requirements.

As we’ve mentioned, a key feature of both the SureSafeGO and the SureSafe Dementia Tracker is that they are GPS enabled. Family members can simply use an app connected to the alarm or tracker and check where their older parent is.

But these devices do so much more to keep seniors safe. Their other functions include…

Speaking through the device

We’ve already discussed one issue with using mobile phones as trackers for elderly parents – they can be easily misplaced or forgotten. Another issue is that an older person suffering a medical emergency may be unable to unlock the phone and dial, and elderly people may struggle to recall the steps for using the phone.

The SureSafeGO or SureSafe Dementia Tracker avoid these problems because wearers can speak to helpers directly through the devices. Also, if the device wearer wants to call for help, the mechanism for this is far simpler than dialling a phone. The person simply has to press and hold a single button clearly marked on the face of the alarm or tracker.

Fall detection

Preventing falls is crucially important for any senior. But since it’s impossible to remove all risk of falls, families also need to plan how they’ll protect their older parent if a fall does happen. One key step is to ensure an older person is never stuck lying on the floor or ground for a long time when they’re unable to get up.

That’s why the SureSafeGO and the SureSafe Dementia Tracker both have the ability to detect falls. When they sense a fall, they call for help immediately, without the need for any input from their wearer – which is helpful in case of unconsciousness or if a person with dementia isn’t able to press a button to call for help.

This fall detection functionality also helps protect seniors inside the home as well as outside. Even walking on a perfectly even surface, elderly people with dementia may be at greater risk of falling. That’s because they may struggle with falls due to changes in the way they move or in how they perceive the world. For example, a dark rug can appear like a hole in the floor to them.

Geo-fencing

Sometimes it’s safe for an older person to walk around within a limited area, but family members want to know if their loved one is going beyond that area. That’s exactly what geo-fencing is for. It allows family or carers to set “geo-fences” around home or safe areas. If the person wearing a GPS tracking watch for the elderly crosses the geo-fence, their device will send an alert to their family.

This functionality is great for older people with dementia who have a habit of wandering away from home unnoticed.

Lockable strap

A feature found only in the SureSafe Dementia Tracker is a lockable strap. While the tracker generally resembles a smart watch, its strap is specially designed so that it can be secured with a key. For older people who might forget what the tracker does and remove it, this can be an essential safety element.

Low battery alert

Since an older person might easily forget to charge their alarm or tracker, SureSafe helps out with a low battery alert that reminds the wearer it’s time to charge.