NPR's acid flashback to telecare, 2006 (US) |
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Tuesday, 24 August 2010 02:13 |
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This editor [Donna] thought they were all over now...but noooo. National Public Radio (NPR) discovers in 2010 that motion sensors can be arrayed to track an older adult's activity in the home, without cameras. Now I know this discovery comes as a shock to our loyal readers....
But despite QuietCare, WellAWARE, GrandCare, BeClose, HealthSense and others leading the telecare way, piles of press and many system advancements since then, this program/article feels like it's lifted from the New York Times, 2006. It's complete with the 'invasion of privacy' angle (the psychologist likening it to 'feeling degraded') , the experimental technology at MIT's AgeLab with RF tags on pill bottles and smart trash cans to see whether they've been thrown out, and the prediction that one day, maybe, that it will help keep 'a loved one on their own even longer'! Not to disparage the Bridgers and their Adaptive Home system profiled, but surely the writer could have done some homework? Or simply read Telecare Aware? Even the headline's a flashback. High-Tech Aging: Tracking Seniors' Every Move
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