TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Thursday marked 7 years since the implementation of the Silver Alert program in Florida. According to FDLE, since the program's inception in 2008, more than 1,100 Silver Alerts have been issued, and from those alerts, 110 recoveries.
A Silver Alert is activated at the request of local law enforcement after a senior with Alzheimer's or related dementia goes missing in a car.
With over 4.8 million residents age 60 and older, the Department of Elder Affairs estimates that more than 510,000 individuals in Florida are living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia.
Molly Best, from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement says these facts make the Silver Alert program a necessary tool to keep Florida seniors safe.
"It's vital for the community to pay attention to these when they go out. We've gotten such a great response with people actively looking for individuals who are missing," Best said.
