Quebec expands Silver Alert system provincewide to help find missing seniors

The Silver Alert system now covers all of Quebec, aiming to speed up searches for missing seniors in danger. (Courtesy Public Security Ministry)

The Silver Alert system, which helps locate missing seniors with cognitive disorders, has been expanded across the province.

The announcement made on Friday by Health Minister Sonia Bélanger and the Public Security Minister, Ian Lafrenière, follows a pilot project launched in 2022 in six regions of Quebec, including Joliette and Drummond.

“This is for caregivers, because when you’re looking for someone who is missing, time is an issue and people are stressed about it,” Lafrenière said in an interview.

“The Silver Alert basically gathers all the information on a single file. So when you’re looking for someone, you can share that with police, and it’s going to save time, and let’s hope it’s going to save people.”

The system alerts the public via social media, radio, television, and police websites when a senior over 65 with a major neurocognitive disorder, such as Alzheimer’s, is missing and in imminent danger.

A distinctive logo will accompany the alerts to increase the visibility of this type of missing person case.

“With this rollout across Quebec, we are taking another step forward in our government’s commitment to strengthening the dignity and safety of seniors in situations of high vulnerability,” Bélanger said.

Lafrenière noted that with Quebec’s aging population and with the number of people living with cognitive disorders increasing rapidly, the Silver Alert has become a necessary tool.

Currently about 7 per cent of the population 65 and over suffers from a major neurocognitive disorder, with the Quebec Federation of Alzheimer Societies predicting a significant increase within the next 15 years.

“This is a very important [tool], and I believe it’s going to change caregivers’ day-to-day [lives],” he said.