Published: October 02, 2007 09:51 am      

Group ushers senior citizen's priorities into law

Galen Scott

gscott@weatherforddemocrat.com

Representatives of the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature (TSHL) met recently in College Station to celebrate the successful passage of 34 new laws the group helped write and promote during the State Legislature’s last regular session.

Since the nonpartisan special interest group was officially created in 1985, Silver-Haired activists have enjoyed a steadily growing level of influence over Texas politics. In much the same way members of the United States Congress court approval from AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons), Texas Legislators pay attention to what the TSHL has to say.

This year, Silver-Haired activists helped increase minimum allowance levels for nursing home patients and supported a new system intended to protect aging citizens in danger of becoming lost or disoriented.

Modeled after the well-known Amber Alert, which requires law enforcement agencies to alert the media following a confirmed child abduction, the State Legislature agreed to support implementing the Silver Alert, a new system designed to aid family members and emergency personnel hoping to locate elderly missing persons.

“More and more, as the population ages, seniors have a tendency to ‘wander off,’ becoming lost and confused,” John Holcomb, Parker County’s Silver-Haired representative, said in a statement. “Ways of locating the elderly who might become disoriented are now being put into place.”

Senate Bill 1315 requires the Department of Public Safety (TDPS) to issue a Silver Alert by contacting designated media outlets, such as television and radio stations, when a senior citizen goes missing. Only the disappearance of an adult age 65 or older with a documented history of dementia would trigger a Silver Alert.

A new law increasing the minimum monthly personal needs allowance for residents in managed care facilities from $45 to $60 per month is also ready to take affect.

According to the Center for Public Policy Priorities, only one out of every nine Texans overall was on Medicaid in 2005, yet seven of 10 Texans in a nursing home were recipients.

After speaking with a number of nursing home patients and gathering evidence for testimony on the measure, Holcomb concluded the extra $15 per month would make a considerable difference in the lifestyle of nursing home patients.

The TSHL currently includes 116 elected members concerned primarily with supporting legislative priorities expressed by Texans 60 years of age and older — the only group of people eligible to vote for Silver-Haired Representatives.

In preparation for the 81st session of the Texas Legislature, the TSHL is scheduled to convene in Austin during the month of December to write and prioritize a variety of new proposals for lawmakers’ consideration.

The first Silver-Haired Legislature was organized 34 years ago in the State of Missouri. Since its inception, the concept has been adopted in 31 states.