To help keep Wareham residents safe and to help first responders work more efficiently, the Council on Aging and the Wareham Police Department Community Service Division have announced the start of a new program.

The Silver Alert Program is a new initiative that residents can register themselves or loved ones for. It will provide emergency responders with key information on registered participants that will help them locate missing people.

"There hasn't really been a program in town that addresses the fact that adults, especially if they are dealing with some cognitive challenge, can wander," Council on Aging Director Sharon Rice said.

How it works is information such as name, age and photographs will be entered into a database for registered individuals as well as emergency contacts, medical conditions and medications, identifying characteristics and places an individual might visit if lost.

In the event that someone in the database is reported missing, a message, similar to an amber alert would be sent out to residents.

The Council on Aging and Police Department encourage anyone to consider registering loved ones that would be at risk if lost such as seniors with alzheimer's or dementia, individuals with developmental disabilities or have medical conditions that would cause them to wander or become disoriented.

"The program will help first responders be able to look at a situation and maybe be able to find people quicker," Rice said.

Rice added that the new program comes at no cost to the users or town.

To register contact Council on Aging Director Sharon Rice at 508-291-3130 or the Wareham Police Department at their non-emergency line at 508-295-1212.