Just another of the OP's tempests in a teapot.
Nobody is being forced to wear one. Nobody is being threatened with "dire consequences" if they do not put one on grandpa/granny. I don't even see where anybody is being told they will have to pay for a replacement if grandpa/granny loses/ditches the thing. (But how can it be lost if all you need to do is turn on the tracking mechanism and see where to go to retrieve it?)
If there is a complaint to be made, it would be that the police are paying for this, which means the taxpayers are paying. But, as the cops said, they spend more in an old fashioned manhunt than they do for the annual cost for all the devices. So the taxpayers are getting a (theoretical) reduction in costs. Sort of kills that complaint, doesn't it?
The do-gooders are whining that it is inhumane and "brands" the wearer. Besides the fact that the thing can be worn on a ribbon/lanyard around the neck where it would not be visible, it sounds like the do-gooders are the heartless ones who would rather someone who wanders off spend hours until they are found IF they ever do get found. How ironic.
stay safe.