ENROLLED 2009 Legislature SM 1330 20091330er 1 2 A memorial to the Congress of the United States, 3 urging Congress to authorize the Silver Alert Grant 4 Program. 5 6 WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia 7 are characterized by the loss of the ability to reason, think, 8 and remember, and 9 WHEREAS, the National Institute on Aging has determined 10 that as many as 5 million Americans may be afflicted with 11 Alzheimer's disease, and 12 WHEREAS, the Alzheimer's Association estimates that more 13 than 60 percent of Americans who suffer from this affliction 14 will wander from the care of their loved ones in a confused and 15 distracted state, unable to find their way home, and 16 WHEREAS, several states have developed notification systems 17 patterned after the Amber Alert system that disseminate 18 information on missing senior citizens and other victims of 19 dementia-related disorders to law enforcement agencies, thereby 20 increasing the possibility that these victims will be rescued, 21 and 22 WHEREAS, the current financial recession has taken a toll 23 on state budgets making it difficult to underwrite the costs of 24 administering new notification programs, NOW, THEREFORE, 25 26 Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 27 28 That the Congress of the United States is requested to 29 authorize the Silver Alert Grant Program to help establish and 30 improve state-administered notification systems that assist in 31 locating missing senior citizens and other individuals suffering 32 from dementia-related disorders. 33 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be 34 dispatched to the President of the United States, to the 35 President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the 36 United States House of Representatives, and to each member of 37 the Florida delegation to the United States Congress.