GPS Trackers for Elderly People: 5 Essential Checks
GPS trackers for elderly people can help share location information and provide a way to ask for help away from home. For someone living with dementia, a suitable device may form one part of an agreed support plan. It needs to suit the person’s routine, be carried or worn, and have enough charge and mobile coverage.
A tracker does not prevent someone becoming lost or guarantee their location will always be available. Before choosing one, discuss who will receive alerts and how they will respond. These five checks can help families and the person using the device make an informed choice.
5 checks when choosing GPS trackers for elderly people
1. Involve the person and agree access to location
Discuss why a tracker is being considered and what the person wants from it. Explain who could see location information and when it would be used. Ask for their consent and review the arrangement as their needs change. If they cannot make the decision, seek appropriate professional advice about deciding in their best interests.
The Alzheimer’s Society guidance on using technology discusses consent, privacy and the importance of maintaining personal contact. A tracker should support the person’s routine and relationships.
2. Check coverage and how location is reported
GPS trackers for elderly people use location technology to help identify where the device is. Mobile coverage is also needed to send an alert or update to the service. Buildings, the surroundings and network availability can affect what is available. A last reported position may be out of date, so ask how the time of the update is shown.
Test the device on usual routes and in places the wearer visits, following the provider’s instructions. Discuss what the family should do if an update or call cannot be received. Location information is an aid to a response plan and does not guarantee that a person can be found immediately.
3. Confirm who receives an SOS or other alert
Some devices alert family directly; monitored alarms connect to a response service. Check which arrangement you are buying and whether optional family access is included or costs extra. Agree emergency contacts, their availability and what happens if they cannot answer.
With a monitored GPS alarm, the wearer can request help using its SOS control. The monitoring service follows the agreed response arrangements. Ask how the wearer speaks to an operator, what happens after an accidental press and which details should be kept up to date.
4. Plan comfortable wearing and charging
A device left at home or with an empty battery cannot provide the intended support. Try the proposed wearing position and check that the person can reach the SOS button. Follow the exact model’s instructions for charging and water use. Decide who will help with charging and how low-battery warnings will be noticed.
Check the expected battery life for the selected settings and use. More frequent location updates or alarm calls can change charging needs. Anyone with a pacemaker or other implanted device should check the exact product instructions and their medical-device manufacturer’s advice before choosing how to wear it.
5. Check optional features and their limits
Do not assume every GPS alarm includes location history, boundary alerts or automatic fall detection. Ask which features the exact model supports, whether they need activation and who receives each alert. Fall detection cannot recognise every fall, and the wearer should press SOS when able to do so.
Review the arrangement regularly with the person using it and those supporting them. GPS trackers for elderly people do not replace agreed care, personal contact or a plan for responding when someone is missing.
Home GSM alarms and portable GPS alarms are different
A mobile-network home alarm has a SIM in its base. Its pendant works within range of that base and does not send GPS location. A portable GPS alarm travels with the wearer and can provide location information when the required signals are available. Compare our home SIM and portable GPS options or read about choosing emergency contacts before ordering.