People are attaching small Apple tracking devices to loved ones with dementia and the habit of getting lost or missing.
Some health care providers have found that Apple AirTags offer an imperfect solution to tracking the elderly who have a habit of running away or getting lost — sometimes due to Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, according to a new Wall Street Journal report.
While most people now carry GPS-enabled mobile phones with them when they leave the house, dementia patients are a group that is more likely to either not have a phone or, if they have one, to leave it at home.
Instead, AirTags can be attached to things they need to take with them when they roam around unannounced, such as keys or a wallet.
This unorthodox application of AirTags, introduced in April 2021 for tracking personal items, is not unique. People have also used them to track children and pets.
However, AirTags can be difficult to pinpoint precisely and questions have also been raised about the morality of non-consensual tracking.
Caregivers have resorted to attaching Apple AirTags to loved ones with dementia who have a habit of wandering or getting lost unannounced
An AirTag is a small Apple device that can be attached to keys or a wallet. Third-party accessory manufacturers are now launching new cases for attaching them to the clothing of elderly people with dementia
Michelle Hirschboeck is a graduate assistant at the University of Minnesota who has resorted to using an AirTag to track her husband Paul, who has dementia, according to the Journal.
She was initially advised to buy GPS insoles for Paul’s shoes, but he wears different shoes on different days and those trackers can cost upwards of $300. Many GPS tracking services also require an ongoing subscription fee.
“He always puts his keys and wallet in his pocket when he goes out,” she told the WSJ. Paul has been walking around with an AirTag on his keys for two months.
Launched in April 2021, the Apple AirTag is designed for tracking personal items, not people
But AirTags are not a perfect solution as they are not always accurate and they usually do not provide real-time location information.
AirTags are not GPS devices in and of themselves. Instead, they work by communicating with iPhones, iPads and other devices on the Apple network nearby, which can record their location and report anonymously to the owner of the AirTag.
This means that the AirTag won’t work as well if the person wearing it doesn’t have a phone with them.
On top of that, there are issues related to consent. The WSJ noted that attitudes to covertly tracking people can vary.
Paul Gaugler, professor of long-term care at the University of Minnesota, told the WSJ, “Just because someone has been diagnosed with dementia doesn’t mean they can’t still make decisions for themselves.
“They can and should be asked if they’re okay with it.”
“It’s more constructive to understand what leads to the wandering and try to devise strategies to prevent it,” he added.
On an Apple forum, a user posted that they hoped to use an AirTag to track down their grandmother who has dementia and “often leaves the house alone.” In the post, they cited the “privacy-security features built-in” as an issue.
The problem is that the AirTag is designed for item tracking, not people tracking. It therefore has a privacy feature that caused it to beep when separated from the owner’s iPhone.
Apple discussed this feature on their website, saying, “To alert people nearby, any AirTag that has been separated from its owner for a certain period of time will emit a sound when moved.”
Another user on the forum suggested that the poster take apart the AirTag and remove the speaker so it wouldn’t make any noise.
A Canadian company, Wairco, markets an AirTag accessory as “for families struggling with dementia.” The product is a clip that allows the device to be attached to trousers, shirts, socks or bags.
While AirTags provide a solution for some, using them is just an imperfect method of dealing with complicated illnesses.
Apple has stated that it does not approve the use of AirTags for people tracking.
In a February statement, the company said: “AirTag is designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not track people or other people’s property, and we condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products.
“Unwanted tracking has long been a social issue and we took this concern seriously when designing AirTag.”
Laurel Wittman is the president of the nonprofit Well Spouse Association that works with individuals caring for chronically ill or disabled partners.
Commenting on criticism of the covert use of AirTags for tracking loved ones, raised in the WSJ report, she said the “experts seem naive in their focus on patient autonomy.”
“Wandering can happen 24 hours a day,” she said. “We need to sleep.”