Chipping Fido is considered an act of love. Chipping Grandpa, however, has been described as "Orwellian," "creepy" and even “satanic."
Regardless, human "tagging" was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2004 to make it easier to retrieve medical records. An estimated 2,000 people worldwide have volunteered to have tiny RFID (radio frequency identification) chips embedded just below the tricep, including 111 dementia patients and their caregivers at Alzheimer's Community Care in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Privacy advocates, who protested at the Florida care center, argued that Alzheimer’s patients can’t necessarily give informed consent. Implanting a chip, they say, is a violent, invasive act. Critics also worry about potential long-term effects on health, even though they’ve been used with pets for more than a decade.
But supporters say it's important to have instant and accurate access to medical records, especially for dementia patients. In addition to the estimated 4.5 million Americans suffering from Alzheimer’s—a number that is expected to quadruple by 2050—the tags could be used for high-risk patients suffering from diabetes, cancer, heart disease and autism.
"The most important thing the chips have done is give our families peace of mind," said Mary Barnes, CEO of Alzheimer’s Community Care, who reports no incidents so far.
The chip's maker, VeriChip Corp., says the technology uses safe and passive (there is no power source) devices that are activated only when read by a scanner. Like pet microchips, they do not have GPS capabilities and can’t track a person's whereabouts. And they don’t set off airport security alarms.
Pet owner Christine Collins, 56, of Bolingbrook microchipped her five cats and called the tiny devices a "wonderful solution for locating both people and pets that are dear to you." The problem, she said, is that unlike collars and bracelets, the chips are not visible.
"Chips are great for providing details, but they are subtle tracking tools that only work if people are aware they may be implanted," said Collins, who worries about her own father, who was diagnosed with mild dementia, early stage Alzheimer’s and cardiac issues. "That's probably the most immediate issue with their use and efficacy, not Orwellian fears of privacy."  
This is interesting. It would have made a world of difference to my grandfather who, up until his Alzheimer's diagnosis, was an avid runner. People need to understand that there is often an undue burden on the caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's. Since my grandmother could not go on runs with my grandfather, he had to stop running altogether. I have always wondered if his decline into complete dementia would have been slower if he had been able to continue with his exercise regime.
On another note, there is a product similar to this in the autism community called "Ion Kids". For parents whose children are "runners", it can be life-saving. It is not an implanted device, however.
-cblakey
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