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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Ethical issues in the use of fall detectors | | Author(s) | Michelle Ganyo, Michael Dunn, Tony Hope |
| Journal title | Ageing and Society, vol 31, part 8, November 2011 |
| Pages | pp 1350-1367 |
| Source | http://www.journals.cambridge.org/aso |
| Keywords | Falls ; Preventative medicine ; Assistive technology ; Information technology ; Social ethics. |
| Annotation | Fall detectors are a form of remote monitoring assistive technology that have the potential to reduce older adults' risks of falling. In this paper the ethical issues raised by the use of fall detectors are examined. The fall detection devices currently available are outlined, and a summary of how these devices require social care services or family carers to respond in particular ways is provided. The ethical issues associated with the use of fall detectors are classified under four headings: autonomy, privacy, benefit, and the use of resources. These issues arise out of the nature of the technology itself, and the way that this technology is integrated into the day-to-day support package of the person for whom it is provided. It is argued that manufacturers have a duty to provide information about the `ethical side-effects' associated with the use of a particular device, and that the process of making a decision to provide a person with a fall detector should include a checklist of questions that is designed to enable decision makers to work through the ethical issues raised. (JL). |
| Accession Number | CPA-111110005 A |
| Classmark | OLF: LK2: M: UVB: TQ |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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