Support or surveillance? Tracking technologies and older people

The same tools that promote safety can also be misused.

Top 3 messages about tracking technologies and older people:

1. New tracking and monitoring technologies can be very useful for supporting safety and security. They can also be used for coercive control.

2. Coercive control is a pattern of abusive behaviour within a relationship of trust. It involves manipulation, pressure and fear.

3. Understanding your rights and being aware of your sense of independence can help you decide whether tracking technology is a good idea for you.

Medication reminders, location tracking apps, home surveillance cameras: these are all new technologies designed to make life easier and safer. Many families rely on them for peace of mind, and older people often use them to support their independence at home.

But the same tools that promote safety can also be misused. When cameras, trackers or password access shifts from support to surveillance, they can limit a person’s independence and choices. What starts as care can cross a line into coercive control.

So what is coercive control? And how do you decide when technology is being used to monitor and restrict rather than to keep someone safe?

What is coercive control?

The e-Safety Commissioner defines coercive control as ‘a pattern of abusive behaviour used to control someone within a relationship through manipulation, pressure and fear.’ This pattern of behaviour can create an imbalance of power.

While many people associate coercive control with romantic relationships, that isn’t always the case. Relationships Australia National Executive Officer Nick Tebbey explained that perpetrators could be anyone in someone’s life.

‘So for an older person, it can be adult children, it can be friends, it can be neighbours, it can be their intimate partners,’ he said.

Maree Bernoth, Adjunct Associate Professor in Charles Sturt University’s Department of Rural Health, added, ‘We're finding that coercive control is not just happening in the community and amongst families. It's also happening in residential aged care.’

Often, coercive control is unseen at first. It may begin with what looks like care and protection, also known as ‘benevolent ageism’.

‘They might say: “I'm helping out. I just want to make sure you're safe. You know you're frail”,’ Nick said. ‘But that is such a damaging lens to put on older people, because it removes their agency to make decisions for themselves.’

Over time, these behaviours escalate. ‘What you see is the pendulum swing towards exercising more control. “No, you can't do that, it's not good for you.” All the way through to things like, “I'm going to take control of your finances for you, you can't be trusted to pay your bills”.’

Gradually, independence is stripped away, leaving the person isolated and powerless.

Technology as a double-edged sword

When used well, technology can play a vital role in helping people age safely at home. But the danger comes when devices installed for ‘safety’ become a tool of surveillance or restriction.

These everyday tools can support independence. But if used without consent or not in the way they were intended, they can just as easily become intrusive.

• Wearables and personal alarms can detect falls and call for help in an emergency. However, they become an issue if a person is forced to wear a device against their wishes.

• GPS trackers and location apps (such as Life360) provide real-time location sharing and reassurance in emergencies. However, they might make someone feel restricted if they’re constantly monitored.

• Home cameras, CCTV and ‘nanny cams’ offer safety oversight but can be used to monitor private conversations, visitors or personal routines or to evade privacy by being placed in bedrooms/bathrooms.

• Smart locks and door sensors improve security with remote locking and unlocking of doors and logs of entry and exit. However, they could prevent someone from leaving home or be used to control who can visit.

• Motion sensors and bed or chair sensors detect movement, sleep/wake patterns, falls or inactivity. However, the data can be used to police behaviour and justify the limitation of activities.

• Medication dispensers and pill-box monitors remind, dispense and log medication doses but can become tools for criticism or control.

How technologies can be misused

So when do these technologies cross the line into controlling? According to Maree, ‘When you lose sight of the person and their basic human rights.

‘People can use surveillance on the pretext of keeping people safe, but really, it's patronising, and it's constrictive. Is it love or control? Is it concern or power? When you're not respecting the personhood and the human rights of the person and when their autonomy is disrespected,’ she said.

Nick agreed. ‘Anything that limits a person's sense of independence, their sense of self or agency, the greater the ability to then take advantage of them.’

With so much of our lives dependent on technology, such as with internet banking or online communication, it can be used to control someone’s access to relationships, communication or even services.

‘We see things like passwords being changed. We see devices being removed. [People are told] “you don't need that anymore, you don't need a phone, I'll make all your phone calls for you”,’ Nick explained. ‘Technological devices can become part of the toolkit for perpetrating that kind of emotional and psychological abuse.’

How to get help

One of the most important protections against coercive control is connection.

‘I think it's a good idea for older people to maintain their private communications,’ Nick said.  ‘They don't really need their carer or their adult children to know every communication they're having with every friend. Maintain those trusted friends for as long as possible.’

If something doesn’t feel right, reaching out for support is vital. Speak to friends, a GP or others you trust. Keep notes about concerning behaviours.

There are many formal supports available:

• Relationships Australia – 1300 364 277

• 1800 ELDERHelp – 1800 353 374

• Older People’s Advocacy Network – 1800 700 600

• Other service providers near you  

• In emergencies, call 000.

Friends and neighbours also play a vital role. Nick said, ‘The best thing you can do is ask a few questions without passing any judgments and be that willing ear. Then be prepared to help and find support for them if they need it.’

Maree added, ‘We've got to get back to human contact. We've got to make sure that the older person is respected, belongs and is connected.’