Bill Would Create Alerts for Missing Elderly

By Angela Delli Santi , The Philadelphia Inquirer

September 16, 2008 

New Jersey would become the 11th state to create an emergency system for locating elderly residents who are missing, under a bill that advanced yesterday in the General Assembly.
 
The alert system would be much like the Amber Alert used to find missing children
. 
The Silver Alert system is in use in Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia.
 
"This offers a quick way to alert the public and law enforcement about missing senior citizens, and time is often of the essence in these situations, so we should do anything we can to help hastily distribute information," said cosponsor Assemblywoman Sandra Love (D., Gloucester). 

Hundreds of seniors and others with dementia wander away every year, on foot or driving. The Alzheimer's Association says at least half are injured or die if they are not found within a dat.
 
"That's reason enough to get this into law," said Assemblyman Paul Moriarty (D., Camden), a cosponsor.
 
Under provisions of the bill, news of a missing elderly resident would be broadcast on radio and television. Electronic highway message boards could also be put to use, in much the way descriptions of missing children are posted. 
State programs, which can be inexpensive to operate if they piggyback on existing Amber Alert communication systems, vary. States use similar public announcements but differ on who is covered and what is required to file an alert. 

In Texas, for example, a caregiver reporting a missing senior must do so within 72 hours of the person's disappearance, and provide medical documentation verifying a diagnosis of mental impairment. Only those 65 and older who are Texas residents may be reported.
 
In North Carolina, no medical diagnosis or state residency is required, and the program covers anyone with cognitive impairment, not just senior citizens. 
The New Jersey legislation proposes broadcasting an alert as often as possible for the first three hours, then rebroadcasting it at intervals deemed appropriate by the investigating authorities and participating media.
 
The Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee advanced the bill by a 4-0 vote with two abstentions. It now heads to the speaker, who can post it for a floor vote.
 
A similar bill awaits action in the Law and Public Safety Committee in the Senate.

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