Res. No. 757

Resolution calling on the Federal Communication Commission Management Agency to add alerts for missing persons with dementia to the Wireless Emergency Alerts system.

By Council Members Hudson, Yeger, Stevens, Gutiérrez, Louis, Restler, Farías, Schulman, Hanif, Abreu, Lee and Sanchez

Whereas, According to the Population Reference Bureau, more than 7 million Americans ages 65 and older had dementia, as a result of Alzheimer’s disease or a similar condition, in 2020, and, based on current trends, more than 9 million Americans could have dementia by 2030 and nearly 12 million by 2040; and

Whereas, According to the Alzheimer’s Association, in 2020 there were 410,000 people living with dementia in New York State, as a result of Alzheimer’s disease or a similar condition, and the number of New Yorkers living with dementia is expected to increase by 12.2 percent by 2025; and

Whereas, According to the Alzheimer’s Association, in 2020 there were over 586,000 family members and friends providing care for people with dementia in New York State, as a result of Alzheimer’s disease or a similar condition; and

Whereas, Dementia may cause a person to lose their ability to recognize familiar places and persons, often resulting in a person living with dementia wandering or becoming lost; and

Whereas, The Alzheimer’s Association reports that 6 in 10 persons living with dementia will wander at least once and many will do so repeatedly; and

Whereas, Wandering for a person with dementia can be dangerous and even life-threatening and can cause great stress and anguish for caregivers; and

Whereas, According to the Alzheimer’s Association, up to 50 percent of those who wander risk serious injury or death if not found within 24 hours; and

Whereas, The city of New York has a Silver Alert system that issues alerts through communication channels, such as broadcast news, for older individuals with dementia who are missing from the New York City area and are in imminent danger; and

Whereas, The state of New York has the Missing Vulnerable Adult Program which also issues alerts for missing cognitively impaired adults, including those who have dementia, when there is a credible risk of harm; and

Whereas, The 2020 annual report of the Missing Vulnerable Adult Program reported that out of 118 alerts issued that year for missing adults, 89 of such alerts were for missing adults who had dementia; and

Whereas, Both the Silver Alert system and the Missing Vulnerable Adults Program send notifications only to mobile devices that have specifically enrolled to receive such notifications through NotifyNYC, NY-Alert, or a similar program, and such notifications are sent to all enrolled mobile devices regardless of the location of the mobile device; and 

Whereas, The federal Warning, Alert and Response Network Act established the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) system and authorized the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to manage the WEA system; and

Whereas, Alerts sent through the WEA system are sent directly to all compatible mobile devices located in a targeted geographic area even if the mobile device has not enrolled or subscribed to receive such alerts; and

Whereas, The FCC, as a part of its role as the administrator of the WEA system, establishes the types of alerts to be sent out through the system, which currently include alerts regarding dangerous weather, missing children, and other public safety situations; and

Whereas, The risk to a missing person with dementia could be minimized if an alert is broadcast to all compatible mobile devices in the area where such person went missing by increasing the chances of quickly locating such missing person; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the Federal Communication Commission Management Agency to add alerts for missing persons with dementia to the Wireless Emergency Alerts system.

SM

LS #7648

6/16/2023 11:29 AM