Silver Alerts vital to elderly wanderers

The recently concluded legislative session featured bitter partisan fights over so many issues, it was heartening to see state Democrats and Republicans unite to protect a vulnerable segment of our population.

House Bill 131 allows the New Mexico Department of Public Safety to issue “Silver Alerts,” quickly activating community resources, including law enforcement and media, in the safe recovery of people with Alzheimer’s disease who wander.

Introduced by Rep. Paul Pacheco of Albuquerque and supported by Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration, including the departments of Public Safety and Aging and Long-Term Services, the bill was endorsed by four separate committees with Democratic chairs. When it appeared as though the bill might die without action amid the session’s final-day frenzy, Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez rescued the measure from a crowded docket, Sen. Sander Rue carried the bill, and it met with unanimous approval.

This provides a measure of relief to Alzheimer’s families. Many parents are familiar with that moment of panic when they realize their child has disappeared from their field of vision at the playground. This is very much like the frantic feeling experienced by a daughter who realizes her dad with Alzheimer’s is not in his familiar spot.

The new law has the potential to drastically reduce recovery time for lost loved ones with dementia, enhancing the probability that they avoid harm. In minutes, State Police will communicate to media the identifying characteristics of wanderers, exponentially expanding the number of eyes that might spot this at-risk person.

A practice in 30 states nationwide, Silver Alerts have been part of Albuquerque Police Department procedure since February 2012, and they address a mounting public safety hazard.

With the aging of the baby boomers, New Mexico’s Alzheimer’s population projects to jump from 31,000 in 2010 to 43,000 by 2025. Wandering, in which people leave their home and are unable to find their way back, occurs in 60 percent of people with Alzheimer’s.

The vast majority of these cases are resolved without police intervention. A spouse of 50 years is found on the neighbors’ porch, or shuffling down their own street. In cases, however, where extra intervention is necessary, an hour can be the difference between safe recovery and community tragedy.

New Mexico’s Silver Alert law will be beneficial in two important ways. It helps ensure the safety of people with Alzheimer’s, while providing peace of mind to caregivers who deserve such support.

Families and friend networks provide 80 percent of the care for people with Alzheimer’s, and life for these caregivers is crushingly difficult. They describe their stress from caregiving as “high” or “very high” at a rate of 61 percent, and 33 percent report symptoms of depression.

Requiring no appropriation and shortening expensive police searches, Silver Alerts are a cost-effective means of supporting these families that contribute prodigiously to the well being of our state. As people with Alzheimer’s move from family home to facility, their annual Medicaid costs leap from an average of $222 to $23,953.

The 104,000 New Mexicans who care for loved ones with Alzheimer’s contribute $1.4 billion in unpaid care, and finding ways to make their role easier has significant potential savings for governments concerned with reducing entitlement spending.

In many cases, wandering can be thwarted through behavioral intervention. To that end, the evidence-based Savvy Caregiver training, provided free to the public statewide by the Alzheimer’s Association, New Mexico Chapter, delivers practical understanding of Alzheimer’s behaviors and communication styles, as well as techniques for such behavioral intervention. For registration, or other Alzheimer’s family supports including safety programs, call the Association at 1-800-272-3900, or visit www.alz.org/newmexico.