TAGGING ELDERLY SUGGESTION PROVOKES OUTRAGE

A government minister has sparked outrage this week by suggesting that elderly people suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's disease should be electronically tagged in the same way as we tag criminals, so that their families can keep track of them. A satellite would monitor their every move. I personally think that this is a disgusting way to treat the elderly in our society. These are people who have worked all their lives and paid taxes into this country and deserve to get something back. My own mother is 75 years old but thankfully is very healthy. But if she suffered from a debilitating disease like Alzheimer's, I would never want her to be treated this way. The elderly of our society deserve to be treated with some respect and a decent standard of care. The government owes it to them to provide this. It is their duty to ensure that there are enough trained nurses and specialist care workers to look after them. Electronic tags are for thieves, rapists and murderers, not innocent elderly people in what is supposed to be a free country.