With technology, we’ve all become quite familiar with AMBER Alerts, messages which flash on our cell phones and freeway signs to tell us of an abducted child. What some people aren’t aware of, however, is that there is an equivalent alert used for a missing elderly person: the Silver Alert.
Due to the likelihood of older people with forms of dementia wandering off, authorities have put silver alerts in place to locate wandering senior citizens who have left their residence or care facility. While a silver alert is active, nursing homes can work in tandem with authorities on a few other steps to ensure retrieval of the wandering resident.
Contacting the authorities is a necessary first step in which the home should
provide a recent photo of the resident and any place they’ve been known to wander or trigger that may be relevant. If the wanderer has a tracking bracelet, that is a vital piece of information that can be used to find the person very quickly. However, if a search of the area and tracking data has not recovered the resident, a Silver Alert can help the police cover more ground by involving the public.
If a public citizen has information relating to the whereabouts of a wandering senior citizen, calling the local authorities according to the information of the silver alert is a great first step. Be sure to have the exact location. If possible to do so without spooking the resident, attempt to keep him or her in one place until help arrives.
If you know a loved one has wandered away from a nursing home, this may be a sign of neglect, either from insufficient protocols or a lack of comfort. Contact the experienced Daytona law firm of Zimmet & Zimmet today for a free consultation.
