U.S. has Silver Alert for missing seniors — why not Canada?

We’ve heard of the Amber Alert – a Canada-wide system that goes into effect whenever a child goes missing.

But how about a Silver Alert? Currently only in place in 36 U.S. states, the alarm is sounded whenever a senior, or someone with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, goes missing.

Toronto police have been looking for 75-year-old Casto Filazzola since Sunday. The senior has Alzheimer’s and is not dressed for the weather. At a news conference on Tuesday, his family said they were fearing the worst.

“This is not like him, he doesn’t usually leave his home ever, so we’re really worried,” one of his daughters said.

It’s impossible to know if a Silver Alert would have worked to bring Filazzola home. But, whenever an elderly person disappears in the U.S., the Silver Alert is another tool that can be used to track them down.

Here’s how the system works:

1) A Silver Alert can be activated at either the local or state level.

2) State alerts are issued when local resources have been exhausted.

3) Criteria varies from state to state, but an alert is typically issued based on age (in Texas and California, it’s for those 65 or older; in Florida, it’s for those 60 or older) and ability (in California, for someone with developmental disabilities or cognitive impairments).

There are some exceptions. For example, in Florida, a Silver Alert can be issued for anyone with an intellectual impairment, from age 18 to 59.

Finally, the person must have gone missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances.

4) A description of the missing person is broadcast on radio and television – similar to what happened in Ontario when a man stole a car with a three-month-old baby inside.

6) A description can also be put on electronic road signs. In some cases, an automated service will call the homes in the neighbourhood where the missing person was last seen.

On Tuesday, the same day Filazzola’s family pleaded for help, the Silver Alert system was used to track down two missing seniors in West Virginia.

In 2013, the Alzheimer Society of Ontario said that three out of five people with dementia go missing at some point, often without warning.

When he was premier, Dalton McGuinty proposed a Silver Advisory system for Ontario, but it never got off the ground. At the time, critics feared it would be overused.

Information courtesy Texas Department of Public Safety, California Highway Patrol, and Florida Silver Alert.