SC senior advocacy group sets legislative agenda

The South Carolina Silver Haired Legislature wrapped up its annual meeting at the Statehouse on Thursday and now takes its top concerns to legislators.

Leading the list this year is a version of the Amber Alert system that may help caregivers more quickly find seniors with dementia and other disabilities who wander from their homes or care facilities.

"When an old person is lost, it is critical that you find that person really quick," said Lamar Bailes, a retired banking executive in Walhalla who is the Silver Haired Legislature's speaker and top officer. He recalled a friend with Alzheimer's who dropped his wife off in Walhalla and absently drove all the way to Hendersonville, N.C., before running out of gas.

Those situations and elderly wandering away on foot merit the type of warning system that would alert police and the public that seniors have gone missing, Bailes said.

In South Carolina, an estimated 53,000 people suffer from Alzheimer's and the number is expected to reach 90,000 by 2030. The Illinois-based Alzheimer's Association says it is common for dementia patients to wander. While only about 5 percent stray more than 1.5 miles from home, those who aren't found in 24 hours risk death or serious injury.

The Silver Haired Legislature's second priority is its perennial call for curbs on high-risk, high-interest lenders. The group helped push legislation last year that limited the amount and number of loans payday lenders could make. While the Senate passed the legislation, the bill was later killed by House Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee Chairman Harry Cato.

"We keep trying to accomplish it because seniors are vulnerable to this type of loan," Bailes said.

The group also wants money set aside to help abused seniors find temporary housing. The state sets aside money for children pulled from homes where they are abused. But for seniors "there's just not much money available to help so they can find a place to live."

The group's other top priorities were creating a student loan repayment program for nurse practitioners who commit to staying in the state for five years. That plans says nurses could get up to $100,000 in loan repayments.