Representative Mark Falzone joined his colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in passing legislation to establish a Silver Alert program, which will assist in locating seniors with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia who have gone missing.

The Silver Alert program would provide for a coordinated approach to locating an individual with dementia. The bill directs law enforcement and other key response resources to focus in a geographic area consistent with the missing person’s last know location.

Representative Falzone remarked, “The Silver Alert program will be a valuable asset to our Commonwealth. This new system is designed to protect some of our most vulnerable citizens and to ease the concerns of their families. When a person is missing, it is crucial that law enforcement officials have the capacity to disseminate information quickly. By enacting the Silver Alert, we will bring disoriented people home safely and undoubtedly save lives.”

“With the establishment of the Silver Alert program, we hope to give the families of those with Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia peace of mind while facilitating an efficient, effective method for finding their loved ones,” House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo said.

“The Silver Alert will give comfort to families that are taking care, at home, of a loved one who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease or other form of dementia,” said Representative Alice Wolf, House Chair of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs. “People with these diseases often wander away. The bill sets up a coordinated, community system by trained first responders – EMTs, police, firefighters – to find wanderers quickly and thus keep them from harm.” The legislation requires training for law enforcement and key responders. This training will be incorporated into emergency personnel training that is currently in practice. Some 120,000 people in Massachusetts have Alzheimer’s disease with the number expected to increase 17 percent by the year 2025.

This legislation now heads to the Massachusetts Senate for consideration.