A public consultation on Assisted Tracking Devices on a voluntary basis for older persons has been launched by the Ministry for Active Ageing.

The aim behind the initiative is of “helping dependent and vulnerable individuals, such as individuals with dementia, who find themselves in difficulty and require some kind of immediate help.

This was announced by Minister for Active Ageing, Jo Etienne Abela, who explained that one of the effects of dementia is that a person loses the orientation of where they are and can find it difficult to return to a familiar environment.

He stated that although the mobile is a ‘tracking’ system, it can be switched off, lost or difficult to operate. Therefore there is a vast selection of devices that can help in this regard, and most of these devices also include various functions such as that of tele-medicine, where the device recognises and records vital parameters (such as blood pressure and sugar level) as well as unusual behavior that can mean the beginning of a crisis in the individual.

Minister Abela said that the purpose of this public consultation is to gather the opinion of individuals, their relatives and professionals who work in this sector.

He went on to say that there are many countries that have introduced this device including the UK, Germany, Scandinavia, Italy, Switzerland, America and Slovakia. He mentioned that the Slovak Government has invited Malta to visit a region where this device is being used in order to see the benefits of this service.

The Minister concluded by saying that while he appreciates the “concerns and prejudices regarding privacy, ethics and digital security, he believes that the benefits of such systems should not be dismissed. Therefore the Ministry invites and wishes an open discussion on this subject.”

The public is invited to register their opinion by clicking here for the public consultation page which states that it closes on the 7th of of July. They can also be sent by email to: onlineconsultations@gov.mt.

Photo DOI/Kian Bugeja

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