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Tuesday, February 10th

Try Giving Thanks by "Paying It Forward"

If you ever had the experience of a parent or loved-one who wandered away, you know the panic you feel as you go about frantically looking for them. Where do you start? Who do you call?
 
"I know about this topic personally," says Mary Lallucci of Bellaire, Florida. "My mother, who was 86, wandered away in February. She was found 8 days later, but we were too late. She had lost her way and wound up on a side street near Clearwater Beach that ended in a boat ramp. She drove her car into the water and drown. We lost my mother, but today the Silver Alert may save others."
 
To help protect an increasing population of individuals who suffer from dementia or any other cognitive impairment, Florida recently enacted the Silver Alert program to help locate missing adults who may be endangered. Similar to the Amber Alert program that utilizes electronic road signs and media outlets to notify the public about a missing or abducted child, the Silver Alert program uses the same techniques to quickly disseminate descriptive information about the missing adult. This has allowed local citizens to be on the lookout for the endangered person and notify the local law enforcement with any relevant information.  
 
There are some critical differences between adults and children who are lost or wander, and these differences can actually make finding the adult more difficult. For example, when a child is seen wandering alone in a public place, the situation is recognized as unusual, whereas an older adult may not attract any attention. And if an adult is driving and becomes disoriented, the situation becomes even more complicated and dangerous.

"Passage of this bill...brings Florida one step closer to improving their ability to find missing seniors in the crucial few hours after they go missing," said Representative Gus Bilirakis, (R-FL) one of the sponsors of the House bill which was signed into law by Governor Crist in October.

"We all have parents and many of us are now in care-giving roles. This is new territory for many of us, as well as for our parents.  When I look at my care-giving experiences, I now realize how little I knew of community, local and state support programs," admits Lallucci. "Since we lost our Mom, our family was committed to bringing the Silver Alertto Florida and all states."  We congratulate Mary Lallucci and her family for their efforts to bring this legislation to fruition in Florida.

 

There are other ways to reduce an elder's chance of roaming, as well as devices to help keep track of a memory impaired senior, including Safe Return bracelets. To find out more about these and other community resources, you can contact your local Elder Helpline by calling 1-800-96-ELDER or visit the AgingFlorida.com web site.