Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK — Gov. Mike Beebe and state law enforcement offices announced Monday the creation of the Arkansas Silver Alert Program designed to notify media and the general public in the instance of a missing senior citizen.
The program is similar to the Morgan Nick Amber Alert System, which was created to alert the public when a child is abducted or missing.
The Silver Alert program is intended to aid the families of those with Alzheimer’s disease and other illnesses of the elderly commonly characterized by dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association in Arkansas.
Dementia-related illnesses often have symptoms that are most often characterized by a lapse of memory and disorientation.
According to the group, six out of 10 people with Alzheimer’s disease will wander from their homes or caregiving facilities at some point as the disease progresses, which it said often leads to serious injury or death.
