A state program designed to help missing adults is being used more often and potentially causing more problems that anticipated.

On November 12th, 72-year-old Donald Lee Barns pulled out of his Orange County driveway in his champagne-colored Ford F-150 truck and did not come home. Within hours, a Silver Alert, with his license tag number and truck description flashed on highway signs. Bev Lanshe remembers seeing that alert and several others since then.

"I think I've seen three in the last couple of weeks," she said.

Florida Highway Patrol sergeant Kim Miller says FHP has issued as many as three of the alerts in one day. Miller says the department never expected to see such a high volume of them.

The program went into effect October 16th. It's modeled after the Amber Alert but is meant to find people 60 years or older who suffer from such illnesses as Alzheimer's or dementia. A half-a-million people statewide are affected with diseases such as those. Eighteen-hundred disappeared at some point last year.

Since October 16th there have been 20 Silver Alerts issued, compared to 11 Amber Alerts for all of 2008. If Silver Alerts continue at this pace, Florida is on track to see roughly 150 by next October. . "It's not getting our attention if there is constantly something on the screen," said Bev Lanshe.

That is exactly what law enforcers fear. They believe drivers will become desensitized to the alerts, possibly affecting the success of Amber Alerts, where a child's life is on the line.

"We know the hours and minutes are ticking (in those cases)," said Sgt. Miller.

Of the 20 Silver Alerts issued over the last six weeks, four people were recovered as a direct result of the message board. All 20 were found alive and well.

The state plans to re-examine the Silver Alert program to see if changes should be made.