Save Lives: Bring Silver Alerts to New York State

A Bill pending before the New York Senate and Assembly would assist families caring for loved ones, who are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, with the creation of a Silver Alert program for missing seniors, similar to amber alerts for missing children.

Nine States now have Silver Alert programs.  Please sign, and help convince New York lawmakers to join those other states, and pass their bill into law. 

We the Undersigned petition the members of the New York State Legislature (Senate and Assembly) to pass legislation, Senate Bill S7585-B and Assembly Bill A 10265-A, The "Omnibus Alzheimer's Services Act of 2008.

According to the Bill, now in committee, over  330,000  New  York  citizens  are  diagnosed  with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and that one in eight citizens over the age of sixty-five and half of those over the age of eighty-five are affected by these diseases.  Over 70 percent of those diagnosed are cared for at home, by family members.

A common behavior of this disease is wandering, and several recent incidents in which New York State involving New York State citizens diagnosed with the disease have wondered away from their family caretakers, and the police, publich health agencies, and other appropriate state agencies have been unable to help in a timely fashion.

The "Omnibus Alzheimer's Services Act of 2008" would both provide training to police personnel, and allow for the creation of a "silver alert" program, to help quickly locate cognitively impaired citizens who have been reported as missing, through reporting to appropriate state agencies, and to radio and other broadcast media.

We support this Bill, and ask that members of the New York State Senate and Assembly vote for it, and pass it into law.