Would you micro-chip your loved one?

Micro-chipping your dog or cat is not out of the ordinary, in fact, it is often considered an effective way of keeping track of your pet should they go missing. However, it now seems micro-chipping grandma or grandpa who suffers from dementia could be a good way of securing their safety and locating their whereabouts.

A controversial opinion piece by UK’s Daily Mail columnist, Janet Porter, raises the idea of a specially-designed chip inserted under a person’s skin which could provide personal details such as medical records, home address, next of kin, date of birth and blood group.

Ms Porter suggests the chip could also work as a high-tech chip donor card in case of a fatality so a person’s organs could be used to benefit someone else.

It would also be used as a tracking device so that if a person with dementia ever becomes forgetful or goes missing, the chip would be beneficial in helping find them.

However, Dementia Care Australia founder and chief executive officer, Jane Verity, told DPSeNews the idea raises many “unethical” questions.

“We would compare this to an issue that is as big as euthanasia. It raises so many questions that are so intrusive in a person’s life,” Ms Verity said.

She said such decisions need to be made with the “highest ethical doing”.

“While we can see the benefit for us, it really would be a case of doing to humans what we do to animals. There are so many grey areas, we would not be able to just sweep this issue under the carpet,” she said.

Alzheimer’s Australia’s, Dr Chris Hatherly, told DPSeNews they were “supportive of any new developments in medical technologies” that help people with dementia.

“However, people would need to have a choice in the matter to either use or receive the micro-chip. They would need to be able to express their wishes or their carers would need to do so,” Dr Hatherly said.

“There are already many tracking technologies available for dementia sufferers and the implant could help people with early-stage dementia and assist their carers in the future,” he said.

The author of the article said the idea of a ‘chip’ could help older people retain some independence in old age.

“While a tad controversial – old people would no doubt be likened to dogs and criminals, who are both routinely tagged – chips would be incredibly useful for my generation of baby boomers, who can’t face the prospect of growing old and losing our independence,” she said.

“My generation (the baby boomers) are proudly independent and we want to remain that way for as long as possible. Increasingly, we want to live the rest of our lives in our own homes – we prize our privacy,” she said.

Janet Porter said the chip could also send out distress signals if people forget to take their medication, or if their blood sugar levels are low because they have not eaten anything for a day or two.

Is the proposal cutting edge or unethical? Let us know what you think in the comment box below.