Asia turns to tech to help watch over a growing elderly population

By 2050, one in four people in Asia and the Pacific will be over 60 years old, according to the United Nations, with significant social and economic consequences for countries including Japan, South Korea, Singapore, China and Thailand. — Image by Freepik

SINGAPORE: When an elderly man with dementia started wandering off from his Singapore home, often walking miles before being found, his carers were at a loss over how to keep track of him - until a tech firm suggested fitting him with a wearable GPS tag.

Carers also placed motion sensors in the 74-year-old's flat and a CCTV camera at its doorway so they could monitor him from a distance. The public housing building has a further six CCTVs in the common areas to watch over its senior residents.