[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 24040-24041]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 IN SUPPORT OF TITLE H.R. 6503, TO AMEND THE VIOLENT CRIME CONTROL AND 
  LAW ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 1994 TO REAUTHORIZE THE MISSING ALZHEIMER'S 
                     DISEASE PATIENT ALERT PROGRAM

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON-LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 3, 2008

  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, thank you for your 
leadership in bringing this bill to the floor. I support H.R. 6503, to 
amend the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to 
reauthorize the Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program. I 
urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Thousands of vulnerable older adults go missing each year as a result 
of dementia, diminished capacity, foul play or other unusual 
circumstances. The Alzheimer's Foundation of America estimates that 
over 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease, and that 60 
percent of these are likely to wander from their homes. Alzheimers 
diseases and other dementia related illnesses often leave their victims 
disoriented and confused and unable to find their way home. According 
to the Alzheimers Association, up to 50 of wanderers risk serious 
illness, injury or death if not found within 24 hours. The problem can 
be exacerbated greatly by national disasters, such as Hurricane 
Katrina, that can, in a matter of hours, increase the number of missing 
persons by the thousands.
  H.R. 6503 reauthorizes the existing Missing Alzheimer's Disease 
Patient Alert Program. The bill authorizes $5 million for each fiscal 
year through 2015 for competitive grants to nonprofit organizations. 
The money may be used to pay for the ``costs of planning, designing, 
establishing, and operating locally based, proactive programs to 
protect and locate missing patients with Alzheimers disease and related 
dementias and other missing elderly individuals.'' The bill states a 
preference for ``national nonprofit organizations that have a direct 
line to patients, and families of patients,

[[Page 24041]]

with Alzheimers disease and related dementias.''
  When I consider the necessity of this bill, I am reminded about the 
time when I was personally called upon by a constituent in the 18th 
Congressional District in Texas. A few years back, the family of Mr. 
Sammy Kirk, enlisted my help in searching for Mr. Kirk. Mr. Kirk was an 
elderly man, suffering from Alzheimers and he had wandered away from 
his family in Houston. He was lost. His family called me to help search 
for him. I, along with his family, searched many hours and many days. 
In total, I searched for 3 days for Mr. Kirk. Finally, Mr. Sammy Kirk 
was found. He was found and he was dead. He wandered many miles away 
from his family and was found dead along the bayou. It would have been 
so much easier, and his life could have been spared if there was an 
electronic monitoring service that could have been used to help keep 
Mr. Kirk close to his family and it would have certainly aided in our 
search for Mr. Kirk. An innocent, yet vulnerable, life could have been 
saved. This bill is necessary and I encourage my colleagues to support 
it.

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