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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Rosita Youngblood |
  
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Youngblood introduces proposal to implement Silver Alert Program in Pa.
Phila. lawmaker says bill would emulate Amber Alert system to help find missing seniors
HARRISBURG, May 28 – State
Rep. Rosita Youngblood, D-Phila., has introduced legislation that would help
protect missing senior citizens who are afflicted with certain memory
impairments.
Modeled after the Texas system that has been duplicated around the country, Youngblood's proposal (H.B. 2558) would create a Silver Alert Program, a system that would alert the public about missing people, 65 and older, who have Alzheimer's disease, dementia, or other memory impairments.
"The Amber Alert system has been extremely successful in helping local and state officials find missing children," Youngblood said. "Senior citizens afflicted with Alzheimer's and other memory diseases are just as vulnerable as missing children, and can find themselves in dire situations. The Silver Alert program would use the technology we already have in place under the Amber Alert system to help protect those seniors who may be in serious danger."
Youngblood said that in order for a Silver Alert to be activated, law enforcement and the state Department of Aging would have to work together to ensure the alert is warranted and to notify the media, as well as other local, state and federal law enforcement authorities about the missing senior.
In addition to Texas, Silver Alert programs have already been successfully implemented at the state level in Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Virginia.
"More than five million people in the United States suffer from some form of dementia," Youngblood added. "People with cognitive impairment resulting from Alzheimer’s or other diseases can wander away from home, and the first 24 hours are the most critical in finding them. Considering the 50 percent of the wandering elderly sustain serious injury, sometimes fatal, I believe that this legislation is extremely important."
Youngblood said there is a movement in Washington, D.C. to implement the Silver Alert Program nationwide, and a federal bill (HR 6064) has been filed in Congress. She said Pennsylvania should take the lead and become a model for other states to follow regarding this program.
More information about this issue is available by contacting Youngblood's constituent service office at 215-849-6426, or visiting her Web site at www.pahouse.com/youngblood.
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