Monday, August 15, 2011 New York Becomes 29th State to Pass Alert System for Vulnerable Adults Legislation
Last month
saw some good news for seniors and their families in the state of New York. State
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on his
website that he “signed a law to create a statewide alert system for
missing vulnerable adults, similar to the nationwide Amber Alert program, which
will help authorities locate cognitively impaired persons who go missing.” By
signing this law Governor Cuomo added New York to the growing list of states with
similar programs in place to help find and protect seniors with Alzheimer’s who
may wander away from their homes in confusion.
The first state-wide
public notification system for vulnerable adults, sometimes called “Silver Alert”
programs, was passed in Oklahoma in 2006. Since then 28 states have joined
Oklahoma in passing Silver Alert legislation (or something similar) and five
states have some kind of vulnerable adult alert legislation pending.
According to
Governor Cuomo’s announcement, New York’s new Amber Alert for Seniors program “provides
for the rapid public dissemination of information regarding adults with
dementia, Alzheimer's, or other cognitive impairments who go missing. Under the
new law, the same Amber Alert mechanisms used to find missing children will be
activated for missing vulnerable adults, including the printing and
distribution of photographs and posters, a toll-free twenty-four hour hotline,
a curriculum for training law enforcement personnel, and assistance for
returning missing vulnerable adults who are located out of state.”
New York’s
program—and the similar programs in all participating states—are a comfort to the
families of seniors afflicted with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Too often we read
news stories about seniors who have wandered away from their homes and are not
found until it’s too late. If you worry that your elderly relative may be at
risk for wandering, check the laws of your state to find out which programs are
available to you and how to enroll (if necessary).
If your
state does NOT have a program in place you may want to consider enrolling your
elderly loved one in the MedicAlert® + Alzheimer's Association Safe Return®
program. To learn more about this nation-wide emergency response service click
here. |