Consent before monitoring an elderly parent: privacy, capacity and Lasting Powers of Attorney

Why consent comes first

Monitoring a parent’s home is done out of love, and it still means recording when someone moves around their own flat. Asking first is the respectful thing, and it is also the practical thing. A parent who understands what is recorded and agreed to it will not unplug the hub, and will tell you when they are going away. A parent who discovers monitoring they did not agree to may refuse all help afterwards.

What to explain before you ask

• What is recorded. For sensors: that movement happened in a room, and when, and door openings. For cameras: images, and often sound.
• What is not recorded. With Birdhouse: no images, no sound, nothing worn on the body.
• Who sees it. Which family members, and whether a care agency or Active Ageing Centre is involved.
• What triggers an alert, and what happens then. For example, no movement by 10am sends a message to you and your sister.
• How to pause or stop it. Your parent should know they can say stop.

Explain it in the language your parent is most comfortable in, show them the device, and if possible open the app together so they see exactly what you will see.

What the law says, in plain words

This is general information, not legal advice. For your own situation, speak to a lawyer or the Office of the Public Guardian.

Personal data protection

The Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) governs organisations. The Personal Data Protection Commission’s guidelines say that “any individual acting in a personal or domestic capacity” is excluded from its data protection provisions, and that “domestic” means “related to home or family”. So a son installing sensors in his mother’s flat is generally not bound by the PDPA in the way a company is. That does not make consent optional: it means the safeguard is the family’s own judgement. The company that runs the monitoring service is an organisation, and it does have PDPA obligations for the data it holds about your parent.

Mental capacity

Singapore’s Mental Capacity Act starts from the assumption that an adult has capacity unless it is shown otherwise. A person is not treated as unable to decide just because their decision seems unwise. Capacity is about a specific decision at a specific time: can they understand the information, retain it, weigh it and communicate a choice?

Lasting Power of Attorney

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) lets a person aged 21 or over, while they still have capacity, appoint one or more people (donees) to make decisions for them if they later lose capacity. There are two areas: personal welfare (such as care, where to live and day-to-day matters) and property and affairs. Form 1 is the standard form; Form 2 is for customised powers and is drafted by a lawyer. A certificate issuer (an accredited doctor, a registered psychiatrist or a practising lawyer) confirms that the person understands the LPA and is not under pressure. From 1 April 2026, Singapore Citizens can apply using Form 1 free of charge, although the certificate issuer’s own fee still applies. A personal welfare donee can act only once the person has lost capacity, and must act in their best interests. Deciding about monitoring at home would usually be a personal welfare decision about care, which is our reading, not a statement from the Office of the Public Guardian.

If your parent loses capacity without an LPA, the family may need to apply to the court to be appointed as a deputy before making certain decisions. That takes longer and costs more, which is why the Office of the Public Guardian encourages people to make an LPA while they are well.

Best interests

Anyone deciding for a person who lacks capacity must act in that person’s best interests, consider their past and present wishes, involve them as far as possible, and choose the option that restricts their rights and freedom the least. For monitoring, that usually favours sensors over cameras, and alerts that go only to the people who need them.

If a domestic helper lives in the home

A helper is also affected by monitoring in the home where they live and work. Tell them what is installed and why. If you are considering cameras, read the Ministry of Manpower’s guidance on CCTV and helpers’ privacy first; the guide to cameras for elderly parents summarises it. Motion sensors record only that a room was used, not by whom, so they are much less intrusive for a helper too.

How Birdhouse handles consent

• A consent step at set-up. When you add a hub, the app asks who it will monitor. If it is someone else, you confirm that you have told them about the sensors and they agreed, or that you are legally authorised to decide for them (for example under a Lasting Power of Attorney).
• No monitoring until it is confirmed. Alerts other than SOS stay paused until consent is confirmed. An SOS press is always sent.
• No cameras or microphones. Motion sensors, a door sensor and an SOS button.
• Access you control. The owner chooses who has access, at full or summary detail, and can remove anyone at any time.
• A log of who looked. Birdhouse staff see activity in a family’s home only with a monitoring plan or time-limited support access you grant, and every look is logged for you to see.

Details are in the Birdhouse privacy policy and in daily insights, reports and privacy.