Silver Alerts

FederalState

Policymakers should devise Silver Alert programs to alert the public to missing older adults with appropriate protections and limitations. 

The subject of an alert must: 

  • have significant memory loss or be experiencing significant challenges in the ability to make decisions and conduct life affairs, and 

  • be at risk of physical harm as a result of the disappearance. 

A documented diagnosis of a condition that causes the individual to be incapable of making personal care decisions should not be required to initiate an alert. Law enforcement officials should work with the individual requesting the alert to determine whether the conditions required for creating the alert are met. 

The individual who initiates the alert must have a familial, social, or caregiving relationship to the subject of the alert. 

The alert system must protect the privacy, dignity, independence, and autonomy of the subject of the alert. Older adults must be given the option to opt out of such alerts. If a court has determined that they are incapable of managing their personal affairs, that option may be removed.