Government Technology - September 2007 - (Page 42)

public health j j Synopsis: Texas establishes an alert system to search for missing seniors. Technology: Amber Alert Systems and GPS. state local federal Saving Seniors W hen 89-year-old Cruz Fierro wandered the streets of El Paso, Texas, in May 2006, after his release from the Beaumont Medical Center, residents didn’t know the elderly man was disoriented and suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. Very few people knew he was missing until several days later, when Fierro was found dead and local media reported the story. This tragic event made Texas Rep. Joe Pickett and the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature — a nonprofit group that encourages senior citizens to get involved in the legislative process — question why an alert system wasn’t in place to notify the public of missing elderly people, especially in central Texas, which has one of the highest elderly populations in the country. “Had there been some notification system in place, it may have been possible to save him,” Pickett said. This was especially troubling to policymakers since the Amber (America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) Alert system originated in Texas. Amber Alert notifies media and law enforcement agencies when children go missing and broadcasts messages across roadway signs to inform the public. Contact: Monica Moreno, associate director of safety services, National Alzheimer’s Association, . CHANDLER HARRIS | CONTRIBUTING WRITER Silver Alert The Texas Silver-Haired Legislature recommended the creation of a “Silver Alert” system to Texas lawmakers as a way to quickly notify Texas residents when an elderly person with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia is missing. The Texas Legislature held hearings on the possibility of such a system, and heard many stories of elderly people who went missing. Cruz Fierro is one of an estimated 900 elderly people reported missing every year in Texas. Pickett helped create legislation establishing Silver Alert, which was passed in May 2007 as SB 1315 and will go into effect Sept. 1, 2007. The Texas Silver Alert system will cost relatively little to implement, Pickett said, since Warning systems help save lives when senior citizens with cognitive disorders wander away from home. it will use the same infrastructure as the state Amber Alert system. “This program has a potential for saving a lot of lives,” said Carlos Higgins, secretary of the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature and chair of its legislative action committee. “It’s just a means of the community letting people know who they need to be on the lookout for and what sort of person they need to be looking for.” If Texans over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s, dementia, are mentally impaired in some way and are reported missing, the Texas Department of Public Safety (TDPS) will then determine the appropriate alerting avenues at state, regional or local levels. Pickett said the TDPS can send alerts to all levels of law enforcement agencies, TV, radio and newsprint media, and show warnings on freeway message boards. SEPT_07 42 BY http://www.govtech.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - September 2007

Contents Point of View Big Picture ESRI Insert The Last Mile GT Spectrum Profile Nuclear Revival Way Back Machine Intel Insert Tale of TIERS Joining Forces Saving Seniors Site Seeing Quarter Miles Two Cents Products Signal: Noise Digital Communities Contents Our Road Ahead Course of Action Shared Interests Special Report: Foundation for the Future Using Wireless to Save Lives Smart Grids for Energy Conservation Community Governing and Wizards

Government Technology - September 2007

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