English city uses RFID to enhance care for dementia sufferers
The city council of Nottingham in the UK has approved a plan to use an RFID tagging application to assist in the care of local dementia patients. The plan would place RFID tags in the clothing of 142 patients at local care centers in order to help staffers properly care for the clothing and efficiently return it to the owner after cleaning.
The creators of the plan emphasize the distress incorrectly distributed laundry can cause dementia patients and their families. Along with eliminating this issue, the information encoded in the tags can help staff follow specific care instructions for individual items, and deal with infection and allergy issues that can arise when a number of residents’ clothes are washed together.
The RFID tags are designed as buttons which are easy to install but difficult to remove, so they cannot be taken off accidentally or fall off during washing. The reprogrammable tags can hold up to 200 characters of information; room enough for the person’s name, unit, room number and other personal information, providing residents with a personalized level of care. The system uses handheld scanners to retrieve the information. The tags are supplied by the telecom company Tunstall.
The project, which has already met with approval from patients taking part in it, is part of a larger effort to bring dignity to the care of patients in the area.
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