Wearing a red-and-white print blouse and black stretch pants, Leadore Campbell left her hospital room sometime before 9 p.m. on May 26.

The 68-year-old Coconut Creek woman walked out of Coral Springs Medical Center with her Citizen watch, her purse and an IV tube taped to her arm.

Campbell had wandered before, but this would be the last time.

Her sandaled feet took her almost eight miles, from the hospital to a lake the size of a football field. She was found there two days later, floating face down in the water.

Campbell's case, say experts and law enforcement authorities, is one example of how someone suffering from Alzheimer's or another cognitive impairment can end tragically.

More than 127,000 critical wandering incidents are estimated to occur each year, according to the nonprofit Alzheimer's Association. If not found within the first 24 hours, up to half of all persons with dementia who wander are likely to become seriously injured or die.

On Wednesday, Gov. Charlie Crist enacted Florida's ''Silver Alert,'' which allows the immediate broadcast of information about missing elders with dementia or other forms of cognitive impairment. The alert works similarly to the Amber Alert, which is aimed at finding children who are kidnapped or missing.

Elderly wandering cases are expected to increase in South Florida and around the country because roughly 10 million Baby Boomers will likely develop Alzheimer's disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

''I think people are going to realize this will be an epidemic, if it's not one already,'' said Lauren Young, a licensed clinical social worker with the Alzheimer's Association Southeast Florida chapter.

In signing the executive order for the new program, Crist noted that it will help ensure the safety of vulnerable seniors.

''Florida's seniors have built Florida's rich heritage and continue to help strengthen our families and communities, and we have a duty to honor them with our utmost respect and dignity,'' Crist said.

You wouldn't know Evelyn Friedman was wandering if you saw her walking on the street, says her husband, Sidney -- the look on her face doesn't give anything away.

''One thing about wanderers is, in their mind, they know where they're going,'' said Sidney, 67, of Tamarac. ``Since Evelyn got sick she moves kind of slowly, but when she wanders she goes very quickly.''

Evelyn, 66, was diagnosed in April 2005 with a form of frontal temporal dementia. She has wandered several times, including several incidents when her husband had to call police when the couple lived in New York.

Although she probably knows where she wants to go, Sidney said, she may not remember how to get there or she may take a wrong turn.

At first, Evelyn would get lost or wander near their Long Island neighborhood. Sidney would use a GPS cellphone, which she carried in her purse, to track Evelyn. Her condition has since deteriorated and her wandering really began to worry Sidney when police once found Evelyn near a busy New York highway two years ago.

After moving to South Florida in September 2007, Evelyn continued to wander. In November 2007, Sidney got her a Project Lifesaver bracelet to help Broward sheriff's deputies locate her if she wanders again. The device, which she wears under a sock on her ankle, emits a unique radio signal specific to Evelyn. If she wanders again, Sidney would call BSO and give them the frequency.

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