New York Senator Charles Schumer announced Monday his intention to cosponsor a bill to try and help find wandering Alzheimer’s patients.
Schumer says over five million people in America suffer from the disease, and if they wander away from home there is a good chance they will injure themselves.
The state’s senior senator is calling for a nationwide Silver Alert system which would be similar to an Amber Alert for missing children. Warnings would be sent out over TV and radio to tell people to look out for the missing senior.
Rockland County already has the system. The inspiration came from a woman whose father took the car keys and drove into the water, killing himself.
“Alzheimer’s disease knows no boundaries. It doesn’t matter where a person lives, people can wander from one jurisdiction to another,” said Alzheimer’s Advocate Nicole Doliner. “This legislation and this Silver Alert will make sure that should this happen there will be things in place to help people find their loved ones.”
“It’s simple, it’s cheap, and it saves lives and there’s no reason that we shouldn’t do it,” Schumer said.
A Silver Alert system is already up and running in 11 states.
(Source: NY1)
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7 Responses
Why cant they use a gps or “lo-jack”, or “boomarang”? Works for cars. (i’mn sure they can make an ankle version.)
Good idea!
#1: this topic has been visited for many years now, since the introduction of GPS type eqipment. Sadly, there is an issue of “privacy” which the ACLU has advocated forever. Therefore, if chas v’sholom, your loved one gets lost, his welfare is of less concern to those who want to protect their provacy. Sounds sick? IT IS!!! amd then they call Hatzoloh, Shaomrim, Chaveirim, Misaskim and every other agency to help find a person who could likely be tracked down in a matter of minutes utilizing technology. Go figure…
For a number of reasons,
1) Most of them are lucid enough to not want to wear it, and will take it off.
2) The battery life on a gps/lo-jack is about 24hrs, requiring a recharge, something that can’t be guaranteed with an Alzheimers patient.
3) The transmitter may not work in many buildings and basements.
That said, there is a semi-solution that the Boro Park Shomrim have called Project Lifesaver, that is a watch with a low lever transmitter.
They do. Some Sherrif departments do indeed have a RFID bracelet and can find the missing person in minutes.
Once this is accomplished, I would like to see a Green Alert initiated to locate exactly where tax dollars go.
one is allowed (no, REQUIRED) to wear / carry the device on shabat.
i know of a case of someone who was found in yonkers, though he lived / was lost in kew garden hills.
(not to compare the case, but i recall a discussion some years ago of carrying “mug money” on shabat. rav meir kahane hy”d said — “mug money — no — gun — yes. if there is a heter for mug money, there is definitely a heter for a gun!”)