New York has a new "gold alert" alert system for vulnerable and elderly adults, with passage by the Senate of legislation sponsored by Senator David J. Valesky (D-Oneida.)
“Too many lives have been lost as a result of adults with cognitive impairment wandering from home,” the senator says in a news release. “The Gold Alert puts their safety, and the peace of mind of their families, at the forefront.”
Searching for lost adults with dementia is nothing like searching for lost children.
The legislation builds on the existing statewide Amber Alert system used by law enforcement to alert the public to missing children.
The Alzheimer’s Association says more than 60 percent of people with dementia will wander away from home at some point. Studies have shown that 50 percent of those who are not found within 24 hours are at serious risk for injury or death.
In order to prepare local officers for gold alerts, the new program will develop training for law enforcement that helps investigators identify and manage cognitively disabled adults. In addition it creates a toll-free 24-hour hotline that residents can use to report a missing loved one.
“Too many lives have been lost as a result of adults with cognitive impairment wandering from home,” the senator says in a news release. “The Gold Alert puts their safety, and the peace of mind of their families, at the forefront.”
Searching for lost adults with dementia is nothing like searching for lost children.
The legislation builds on the existing statewide Amber Alert system used by law enforcement to alert the public to missing children.
The Alzheimer’s Association says more than 60 percent of people with dementia will wander away from home at some point. Studies have shown that 50 percent of those who are not found within 24 hours are at serious risk for injury or death.
In order to prepare local officers for gold alerts, the new program will develop training for law enforcement that helps investigators identify and manage cognitively disabled adults. In addition it creates a toll-free 24-hour hotline that residents can use to report a missing loved one.
Read about the legislation, which included other quality of life measures for seniors.
Read Valesky's news release.
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