Imagine you have an older parent with Alzheimer’s.  Difficult, you might say.  Imagine your mom or dad then goes missing.  For a long time.

Terrifying.

Unfortunately, this story is not the stuff of fiction for many Americans who face this exact situation.  Take Kristine Korpal of Harrison Township whose father, Karl T. David, had Alzheimer’s disease and went missing while walking his dog in his backyard in northern Michigan.  Korpal immediately began searching for him.  Fortunately, he was found a short time later half a mile from his house, tracked by his footprints in the snow. 

Many are not so lucky and spend hours, even days, searching for a memory-impaired loved one.

Help is hopefully coming for those caring for people suffering from Alzheimer’s and similar conditions.  New legislation, H.R. 5898, the Silver Alert Grant Program Act, would provide funding for a system to help lost seniors suffering from Alzheimer’s and other dementia-related diseases and those trying to locate them.  Silver Alert and similar programs, modeled on the Amber Alert system that uses media and highway message boards to alert the public to missing children, have found success in states including Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Texas and others.

The legislation is spearheaded by U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) and would provide $5.6 million annually over the next 5 years to states to start or make improvements to Silver Alert programs.  A minimum of $100,000 would go to each state qualifying for the grant, renewable each year.  The grant would also promote best practices in establishing Silver Alert systems and would include public education components.

At a June 16 press conference at Shelby Nursing Center in Shelby Township, U.S. Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.) announced her co-sponsorship and support of the legislation.

“The Amber Alert System works and it works well,” Miller said.  “Our seniors deserve no less support, particularly those suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia.”

Korpal, who also supports the legislation, started a bicycling event four years ago, Mind Over Matter, in honor of her father who died of Alzheimer’s and to bring attention to the disease.  “Especially in Michigan, we get really hot, hot days and we get really cold in the winter,” she said.  “Time is a factor.”

With the population aging and baby boomers in particular growing older, the number of people suffering from Alzheimer’s and other dementia-related diseases is expected to grow.  As many as 5.2 million people in the U.S. currently have the disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Hear a podcast of WWJ Newsradio 950's Beth Fisher’s interview with Kristine Korpal here: