Japan tags senior citizens with scan-able barcodes to tackle their problem of elderly people ‘gone missing’

‘It likely seems Orwellian to most Americans, but apparently some Japanese are okay with it: One city in the Asian nation has launched a unique program to help keep track of senior citizens who have a tendency to become lost…tagging their fingers and toes with scan-able barcodes.
As reported by Agence France Presse, a firm based in Iruma, located north of Tokyo, developed minute nail stickers, each one carrying a unique identifier that helps concerned families locate missing loved ones, according to the city’s social welfare office.
The QR-coded, adhesive seals for nails, which are part of a free service that has only recently been launched—and is a first in Japan—measure only one centimeter (0.4 inches) in size. “Being able to attach the seals on nails is a great advantage,” one city employee told AFP. “There are already ID stickers for clothes or shoes but dementia patients are not always wearing those items.”’
Read more: Japan tags senior citizens with scan-able barcodes to tackle their problem of elderly people ‘gone missing’