Silver Alert, an Amber Alert style notification system for missing seniors, is the law in 26 states. Now a New York Times article, and a response from Rep. Lloyd Doggett, brings renewed focus to make Silver Alert into a nationwide initiative.
The New York Times ran an article last week entitled "More With Dementia Wander From Home." The article highlighted the rising problem of wandering among seniors with dementia, Alzheimer's Disease and other mental illness:
But last year for the first time, another type of search crossed into first place here in Virginia, marking a profound demographic shift that public safety officials say will increasingly define the future as the nation ages: wandering, confused dementia patients like Freda Machett.
Ms. Machett, 60, suffers from a form of dementia that attacks the brain like Alzheimer’s disease and imposes on many of its victims a restless urge to head out the door. Their journeys, shrouded in a fog of confusion and fragmented memory, are often dangerous and not infrequently fatal. About 6 in 10 dementia victims will wander at least once, health care statistics show, and the numbers are growing worldwide, fueled primarily by Alzheimer’s disease, which has no cure and affects about half of all people over 85.
The NYT article prompted a response from Rep. Lloyd Doggett, sponsor of the National Silver Alert Act. In a letter to the editor, Doggett highlighted the need for national Silver Alert legislation and urged the Senate to take action on the stalled Silver Alert bill:
To the Editor:
“More Wander Off in Fog of Age” (front page, May 5) describes a tragic and growing problem in our country. While there is no silver bullet for the safety of missing elderly, a good start is a bill I sponsored: the National Silver Alert Act. Similar to the successful Amber Alert system, this bill supports local law enforcement with a notification system triggered by the report of a missing senior. It passed in the House with broad bipartisan support early last year, but now languishes in the Senate.
State-level Silver Alerts programs have been carried out throughout the country, including with great success in Texas more than two years ago. This bill would support existing and new state programs and coordinate alerts among states to help prevent the elderly from wandering over state lines. All those dedicated to protecting the elderly should urge their senators to pass this bill.
Lloyd Doggett
Member of Congress, 25th Dist., Tex.
Austin, Tex., May 6, 2010