Yesterday I took Choco to the vet. We drove about 30 minutes into the next city. Along the way we passed people out walking their dogs and getting a little sun. A nice day for people to be out.
After the vet I went to the fabric shop to buy multi-colored quilting thread. And then I stopped at the bread shop and bought a sandwich and had lunch out on their picnic bench with Choco begging by my side. And then I started homeward bound. One more errand. I had to stop at the pool and pick up my pool bag which I'd forgotten lock, stock and barrel at the pool. (I'm beginning to worry about my brain... this is the third major thing I've just gone off and left...)
On the way to the pool I noticed an older lady, an obaachan, walking on the sidewalk. Wait a minute! Two plus hours ago didn't I see that same obaachan closer to the city? Where was that? That was miles and miles and miles from here! Maybe yes... maybe no... I seemed to recall an older lady walking along and I had thought it interesting/odd that she wasn't carrying a purse nor wearing a hat on this sunny day.
But no. I'm probably wrong. I went on to the pool and retrieved my bag. Should I go home? Should I go 10 minutes back and see if the lady is still walking? I went back. She was sitting at a bus stop now. Okay. She's fine. Make a U-turn and go home.
But something kept nudging me and I U-turned two more times, watching the obaachan on the bench. No one else seemed concerned. Well, if she's just sitting on a bench, no one would think that strange. But if she really is the lady I saw on the far side of town...
I made a quick decision to go get Tetsu (I wasn't far from his convalescent home). If the obaachan was lost then the area she'd been walking has a lot of older people who make use of Tetsu's convalescent home's facilities. I thought about calling the police but if the poor lady was just trying to catch a bus what a ruckus I could cause!
Tetsu came right away and sat down at the bus stop to chat with the obaachan. And realized that the lady was lost and quite confused. So we drove her to the neighborhood police bo
x and after about an hour her family was tracked down. She had walked clear from the OTHER SIDE of the city and had been out since 9:00. (I first saw her at 11:00 and we took her to the police box at 2:00.) Strong legs on that little obaachan!!Tetsu and the police were quite surprise that I could recognize an older lady in trouble but I have heard so many tales from Tetsu of older people wandering away from their homes or getting out of the day service centers etc. that I guess I'm subconsciously aware of older people out alone.
Whew, I'm sure glad that worked out well. I would hate to be making the rounds today apologizing to everyone for sticking my nose in other people's business!
28 comments:
The elderly lady was very lucky... who knows how long she could have been wandering around, lost and confused if you hadn't spotted her... AND did something!
What a wonderful thing you did, Tanya. You are keen on details and knew just how to handle the situation.
Again, I say...you are a guardian angel.
Hugs, Helen
That lady was lucky you noticed something was amiss. You notice things and you care. If that's being nosy.....so what?
I think what you did was great! Not many people would notice things like that or take the time to do anything about it. You should be proud of your self!
If you could recognize the lady after seeing her only briefly, I don't think you really need to worry about your brain. Sometimes we get distracted by who-knows-what and forget things, but you noticed what was really important. You are a good person, Tanya.
I'm so glad that you turned around and got your husband to talk to her! The Lord truly was watching over her!
If that's being a busy body, then I want to be that too. She was very lucky that you were around. Thanks for sharing and reminding us that we need to look out for the elderly.
cindy
Job well done. I think calling Tetsu was very smart. Him sitting down and striking up a conversation was the best thing. If things were fine he would have seen that...but he was able to discover her confusion. God bless you Tanya!
this was a very touching story!
You are a kind and thoughtful person and deserve a big hug. I recently heard of a story where a home that takes care of elderly people with dementia had a fake bus stop installed on a road near the home. If any of the people from the home got out unsupervised they would frequently be found waiting at the fake bus stop and could then be gently brought home.
Bless you, bless you, bless you!
If that had been my mother, I'd be so very thankful that you were "nosy!"
Good for you, I always keep an eye out for kids and older people who seem to be lost or confused.
Not a busybody at all! Just the concerned daughter of a mom who could do the same thing. Subconsciously you were protecting her maybe? :) So glad the grandma got safely home.
Tanya, you are so kind. You truly live your faith and act on it as you did today noticing the older lady and acting upon the nudge of your faith. God bless you.
Good for you and Tetsu! A very lucky lady to have you recognize her. I rescued a lady in a similar situation and I did feel very unsure until I realized she was impaired. Good call, Tanya!
Don't worry, Tanya, about forgetting... you just have too many things to think about. There are so many serious thing happening around you. When life is calmer you can be focused just on what you are doing and you won't forget the little things. Enjoy your sewing!
Well bless your heart for doing the right thing Tanya - you are not a busybody, you're a Good Samaritan! I've stopped for folks before too - one guy was walking along, then he suddenly stopped, sat down, then LAID down on the ground. I pulled over and got out, asked if he was ok, and realized he was drunk. And quite happy where he was, thank you. Sigh.
Oh how thankful so many people must be for people like you, people who care. When my mother developed Alzheimers we eventually had to put her into a care home and on the second day we received a telephone call to say that she'd been found eight miles away. Thankfully two girls out walking their dog had realised that she was confused and in need and had called the police who then tracked down where she had come from. Needless to say we were so thankful to those two girls, though we were never able to find out who they were. And the care home put locks on their doors after that.
I just heard a segment on the radio where a convalescent home put a fake bus stop in front of the home so instead of wandering off the patients would just go sit on the bench at the bus stop thinking they were waiting for the bus and after while staff would discover them and bring them back in. By that time the patient would have forgotten where they were trying to go.
Oh my, I have a very similar story but it was an Ojiisan and he was looking for a cab ... wanted to go to someplace in Kyushu. Oh oh, maybe the cab was not the help he needed. I have great sympathy for the family members who have to worry every time their elderly relative goes out.
You are not a busybody! You may have saved that lady's life. I don't think I'm being over dramatic because there have been several cases here in the last few years of old people with confusion/dememtia issues wandering away from their home and terrible things happening. It warms my heart to think that there are still people who still care about their fellow man - or, little old lady. Bless you, Tanya.
I don't think your memory is at fault for leaving the pool bag behind. I think God needed you, with your noticing eye and expert husband, on that road at that time to help that grandmother. Bless you for noticing and helping.
Not a busy body at all. Bless you. You were observant and helpful to a person that needed help. So many in this situation go ignored.
Before my own mother died, she had dimensia. Lived in a small town outside Chicago. She walked away from her house. My brother was beside himself with worry until he got a call from a McDonalds far from her house saying she was there. How the heck did she get that far away! We would never know.
Keep continuing to keep a lookout for the unusual. You were a guardian angel that day!!
xx, Carol
Bless you Tanya. We all need to be aware of the people around us. I am sure that obaachan's family is very grateful.
I believe your pool bag was left for a reason. You had the opportunity to be there to help the lady in need. The Lord was watching over that lady. Thank you for "stickin your nose in".
Tanya, I would say as one Christian to another that the nudging that you experienced was coming from the Holy Spirit. Thank you for responding to His prompting and getting this dear one the help that she needed.
You will be forever blessed by your "random" act of kindness. My mom was afflicted with Alzheimer's Disease and she did not leave my sight for 10 years. A wonderful story from a wonderful person. Thank you!
You don't have to worry about your brain, Tanya. It's OK if you forget things occasionally. But you did GREAT job helping that obaachan. And that is also great work of your brain, for noticing some details, and CARE. You are such an angel.
Oh Tanya! How fortunate that you noticed her! You would make a great detective. The other day at the mall, I noticed an older woman stealing a potted rose plant out of a container in the middle of the mall! I didn't know what to do, so I hurried over to the nearest jewellry store and asked the person there. She looked startled but she said "oh, just leave her alone; she is old". So I didn't do anything else. I'm glad you could help your older person.
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