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Symbols: Because of the Nature of the Silver Alert Act there is a lot of symbols that are been used to communicate the need for every State to have the system in place to support caregivers. Example of some symbols in the first paragraph and two one are Silver Alert, Alzheimer’s Disease, Mental Disabilities, Media Outlet, Missing Person, Signs, Motorists, U. S. Government, Legislation, Policies, United State, Church Family, Police and Television Station.

Storytelling: “ Narratives with heroes and villains, problems and solutions, tensions and resolution” The first Page second paragraph presents a compelling story with heroes who are trying to help find wandering relatives. Family Friends, Church Family, TV station and Police. Thanks to the family member that work at the TV station. The state is the villains in this situation for not having the Silver Alert in place. Using this powerful story to convey the need for the Sliver alert system is very powerful. Synecdoche: Is used in both of the stories.

The horror story of missing love ones Stories: Another story on page two that shows that there are thousands of people with Alzheimer’s that are wondering. Numbers: The second page, third paragraph contained Numbers of Alzheimer’s patient that will wander. The numbers draw attention to the high percentage of Alzheimer’s patient that is wondering. Approximately 12% of the people with dementia who lives at home wander; 6 out of 10 people with Alzheimer’s disease will wander; and Approximately 4. 5 million adults are living with Alzheimer’s disease.

Numbers: The third page, first paragraph describe the number of Alzheimer’s Patient living in the United State, the numbers of people that will have Alzheimer’s if there is no prevention and that Alzheimer’s is the 6th leading cause of death. Metaphor: The second page at the end of the story when patient Ms. Brown describes himself to a circuit breaker in a large house. Silver Alert is a public notification system in the United States to broadcast information about missing persons especially seniors with Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia or other mental disabilities in order to aid in their return.

Silver Alerts use a wide array of media outlets such as commercial radio stations, television stations, and cable TV to broadcast information about missing persons. Silver Alerts also use variable-message signs on roadways to alert motorists to be on the lookout for missing seniors. In September 2008, the U. S. government enacted legislation to promote the establishment of “ Silver Alert” policies throughout the nation. By late 2008, 17 states had enacted Silver Alert policies, and several more planned to take advantage of National Silver Alert grant funding to initiate policies in 2009.

This piece of legislation needs to be implemented all over the United States. When the United States government enacted the legislation in 2008 every state should have had the system implemented immediately. Here we are three years later and we still have states that do not have the Silver Alert System in place. This is appalling and needs to change immediately. In an Arizona case where a man, Mr. Brown, a father of two children and husband who he has been married to for fifty years. Mr. Brown was a retired Army Officer. He served in the Navy during World War II and the Korean War.

Mr. Brown had a great love for live and believes you should live life to the fullest. Mr. Brown wandered from his home and went missing for over 23 hours, the Silver alert could have been a source of hope and peace for the family. Because he was only gone for 23 three hours the family could not file a missing reports to the police. You can only report a missing case after 24 hours. The night my father disappeared was the longest day we ever faced as a family. Dad was a retired Army officer used to taking walks with his and my mom’s little black dog.

He had also been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, a relatively new diagnosis at the time. One day, he left the house just after lunch with the dog on a leash. My mother had gone out to look and call for him, but after a couple of hours she got worried and called me. We canvassed the nearby areas with no success. I had flyers printed with a picture and posted them in high traffic areas. I also got hold of my church family and had about a dozen helpers looking for him. What a horrible night. The police had been notified and were alert to find him. Even at night we still searched the neighborhoods.

The next morning, my niece, who had a job with a television station in California, made some calls to the local media and managed to get some notifications broadcast over several radio stations. Around noon we got a call from a station that a man and his dog were located about six miles away from his home. A woman had heard about his wandering on the radio and spotted him sitting at a bus stop. We later found out that he had been several miles further than that at one time. When Dad was brought home he was carrying the dog with no leash and no collar.

Dad was filthy, and very tired. We don’t know where he spent the cool night either. It was quite a relief to have him back unharmed. When asked, Mr. Brown described his experience like this ” a series of circuit breakers in a large house, flipping off one by one. ” For many family members who care for their loved one with Alzheimer’s it may feel as if their loved one is “ losing their marbles. ” This can be extremely difficult for the victim and the care taker. Feel lost and out of control of one’s mind is a frightening and unsettling time for all involved.

Having the Silver Alert system available would help provide some sense of peace to these families. In the case of Mr. Brown, if the state of Arizona had the Silver Alert System in place, Mr. Brown could have been home in a couple of hours instead of 23 hours later. In another case, Lauris Freeman, nephew of Byron Freeman, has acted as his family’s advocate and spokesperson since Byron’s mysterious disappearance on June 24th, 2006. Ironically my first inclination was not to panic or fear the worst because you have no reason to believe that anything bad has happened, i. e. maybe he’s just lost, wandering around, confused, etc.

But as more time passes you start running different scenarios through your head about all types of things from foul play to amnesia, abduction and basically everything else we see on television crime shows. Once you accept the fact that your loved one is missing I think the biggest fear is that they will never be found. Unfortunately for our family, that is currently the case. The stories of Mr. Brown and Byron Freeman are just two of thousands who unfortunately, can now count their missing loved ones among the statistics.

Having this legislation in place will give the family caregiver across the country, peace of mind, knowing that there will be a full and immediate alert if your loved one wanders from safety. When a loved-one goes missing, the feeling of panic and helplessness can be overwhelming. 60-70% of all Alzheimer’s victims will wander. Once they’ve wandered one time, the likelihood of repeat occurrences is probable. Critical to the safe return of a wanderer is locating him or her within a few short hours of their disappearance. Without a network in place to find these victims, their safety is difficult to monitor.

Caregivers dedicate themselves to the well-being of their loved-ones. Silver Alert would empower them with the ability to instantly mobilize an entire network of people and resources that will immediately begin the search to bring their loved-one home safely. Without the passage of HR 632, states will not receive the Federal support they need to respond to the emergencies of missing seniors.

The following statistics show an alarming need for the Silver Alert in every state: Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the U. S; 5. million Americans live with Alzheimer’s; someone develops Alzheimer’s every 69 seconds; Baby boomers are entering the age of greatest risk; 1 out of 8 boomers will develop Alzheimer’s; 16 million by 2050 if no treatment/prevention is found and about a quarter million under the age of 65 will has Alzheimer’s. With this disease growing so rapidly in our country, it is imperative to have a system such as Silver Alert available for caregivers in each state. Wandering has emerged as a particularly challenging behavior for caregivers of individuals with dementia or other cognitive impairments.

Wandering behavior may be caused by several factors, including a side effect of medication; stress; confusion related to time; restlessness, agitation, anxiety, and/or fear; and/or inability to recognize familiar objects, people, or places. (Dewing, 2006). Approximately 12% of people with dementia who live at home wander. The Alzheimer’s Association (2008b) indicates that 6 out of 10 people with Alzheimer’s disease will wander. Silverstein, Flaherty, and Salmons (2002) reported that at some point in the disease process, all individuals with dementia wander.

Given recent estimates that approximately 4. million adults are living with Alzheimer’s disease, a number that is estimated to quadruple over the next 40 years (Alzheimer ’ s Association, 2007), these variations suggest that wandering at least has the potential to be a severe problem. In conclusion having the National Silver Alert program will provide people with Alzheimer’s and their family a since of security and safety in their homes. I will ask you to recall the story we started with of Mr. Brown been missing for 23 hours and try to understand how hard it must have been for the family those long hours. It is imperative that this bill be supported across the country.