The Upton Police Department has developed a Silver Alert Program to help improve police response time when a person with Alzheimer's disease, dementia, or other cognitive impairment is reported missing. 

This program is part of Upton's effort to implement the MA Silver Alert Community Response System at the local level. The MA Silver Alert Law outlines procedures and communication protocols among state/local public safety and human service agencies to identify people with dementia who have wandered or become lost and return them safely to their homes. 

The program involves working with people who have a family member at risk of wandering to collect info and a recent photo that can help police identify and/or locate the family member. Collecting this confidential information before an incident occurs enables the agency to begin search procedures immediately, as collection of data after a person has already gone missing can delay an effective search for an hour or more, increasing the chances the wanderer will be in danger.

Upton’s Silver Alert registration form can be found at bit.ly/UptonSilverAlert 

Source: www.uptonma.gov