The total number of persons aged 65 and above in the U.S. totaled 49.2 million in 2016 as per the latest data available. They constituted 15.2% of the country’s population in 2016.

Do you have anyone related to you in that age band? Or a neighbor you are particularly fond of, maybe? This article is definitely for you. Elderly persons going missing is a growing concern.

Elderly Missing Persons: The Legal Scenario

In the U.S. an adult person, i.e. anyone above 18 years of age, has the legal right to go missing voluntarily. That implies limited support from law enforcement agencies in looking for a loved one who has gone missing. Especially those aged 21 or above.

Local and state law enforcement agencies are primarily responsible for recovering adult missing persons. However, the federal government has been playing an increasing role in recent years to preventive programs. An August 2019 report by the Congressional Research Service mentions that.

Incidents of elderly people gone missing constitute one of the focus areas for the federal government’s initiatives. Persons aged 65 and above constitute a high-risk population group with reference to going missing.

About 5.8 million people in the U.S. suffer from Alzheimer’s and the dementias that result from it. As high as 60% of them are likely to wander away from home. The Congressional Research Service report quotes the Alzheimer’s Association a nonprofit support group for these numbers.

Elderly people with undiagnosed depression are at high risk of going missing also. So are those trying to recover from the grief of losing a spouse or a younger loved one.

What You Need To Do As Soon As You Know An Elderly Person Has Gone Missing

Step 1: The first and foremost thing is to keep your panic button under control. What you need most is a calm head.

Step 2: The second action point is to report immediately to your local law enforcement authority.

Remember that in the case of any other adult gone missing, the local police may ask you to wait for a reasonable time before they register a case. That could be up to 72 hours. Not so when the person gone missing is aged 65 or higher.

The Michigan State Police clearly states that “it’s never too soon” to report when an elderly person goes missing.

Step 3: Remember to carry with you the items and the information the police will inevitably ask for:

• At least one head and shoulder photo of the missing person. Make sure that it is a recent one.
• Gather information about the clothing the missing person was last seen in if you do not know that yourself.
• The missing person’s date of birth, address, and physical and mental health history.
• As detailed and accurate a physical description as possible, with a special focus on identification marks, if any.
• Offer as much information as you can. Let the police judge what is relevant. Don’t exercise your own judgment to leave out any details.
• Be ready to assist the police in accessing the missing person’s social media accounts, bank records, and cell phone records.

Step 4: Tap into local media to publicize the story of the missing person. Help may come from completely unexpected quarters.

Step 5: In case you have reasons to believe that the elderly person who has gone missing might commit some offense and land up in prison, set up your own internet search. But do that only after you’ve reported the incident to your local police.

Different internet search options are available. Just in case you are in Michigan, Prison Finder is a helpful platform.

Positive strokes from us in your efforts to locate the elderly missing person you are looking for!