The value of Silver Alerts???

So pretty much 3 or 4 times a week on wral.com, there's a news story about a canceled silver alert - and the person for whom the alert was issued is found.

This seems a little inane to me. Oh, I know that older person health and well being is important, but it appears as if the silver alert system is essentially being used for care takers who "fall asleep" on the job to get everybody focused on finding their ward.

It appears that quite a few of these alerts are sent when the person isn't "missing" but is actually on their way somewhere and driving.

Do these have any true value, or is it just a convenience for rest homes?

I don't know about those, but I do get tired of all the child abduction alerts that just seem to be custody disputes where the kid is in no real danger. It makes me a lot less likely to pay attention when it is actually serious, and that is frustrating.