Silver Alerts Popping Up Across America
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EmailRoadway message boards are popping up on interstates across the state; 15 and counting in Lee County alone.
The boards are instrumental to the Silver Alert campaign.
Says Sue Maxwell, Director of Older Adult Services with Lee Memorial Health System,
"The Silver Alert is a plan between the Department of Elder Affairs and law enforcement so that we can recoup and recover those people who are lost in their cars who might have Alzheimer's."
Seven Silver Alerts were issued in Lee County, the latest on September 21st. In each case, the missing person was located and returned home.
Sue Maxwell heads up Older Adult Services for Lee Memorial Health Sysytem. Sue finds it very common for people with memory disorders to get behind the wheel.
"It happens a lot, there are many people who actually get in the car, get lost and not know how to get back home, yes, and it's very, it's very ordinary to have that kind of situation."
One Florida man drove almost a thousand miles before being found. The Silver Alert boards publicize a car's make, model, color and tag number. But the program itself depends upon awareness to make an impact.
Sue says,
"When our patients come to the memory disorder clinic, we let them know about the Silver Alert. So if driving is an issue, we say if someone does take the car and they don't come home and they get lost, here's what you can do."
It's as easy as calling law enforcement, which collects the information, then issues the notice to post the alert.
There are 560 message boards in the state, and tens of thousands of eyes watching them.
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For Lee Memorial Health System, I'm Amy Osher.
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Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, Lee Memorial has been providing their community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.
Source:
silver Leememorial.org
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