Published: May 06, 2009 08:36 am      

Silver alert

Network would track lost adults with dementia

As the baby boomer population grows, so does the number of people suffering from dementia. Unfortunately, some who suffer from the disease turn up missing and are never found.

Now, there is a growing trend for “silver alerts.”

Much like amber alerts that elicit the public’s help in locating missing children, silver alerts notify the public when a cognitively-impaired adult goes missing or wanders away.

Congress is considering establishment of a nationwide silver alert system. Already, 15 states have such systems and three others, New Hampshire, Tennessee and Wisconsin, are considering them.

Amber alerts have paid off many times in locating missing children. Using electronic billboards and media reports, authorities try to spread the word far and wide when a child is missing or is abducted.

The Alzheimer’s Association reports that more than five million U.S. citizens have Alzheimer’s disease. Most of them are 65 or older.

The association estimates that six of every 10 Alzheimer’s and dementia patients will wander away from their caregivers at least once. Often times, they are not able to find their way back home without help.

Given those numbers, a silver alert system would seem to be one tool society can use to help safeguard cognitively-impaired adults. As the U.S. population grows older, pressure on Congress to act is certain to increase.