I thought about putting this on the “what I have done in the last 24 hrs” thread last Friday then decided not to as I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate, however on reflection I think it is a reminder too all of us currently
On Friday I went to my 87 yr old neighbours house and could not raise her. A taxi had come to collect her and had gotten no reply. I broke in via a conservatory window and discovered that she had had a bad fall, suffering a significant head wound and could not get up. She was taken to Hospital where she still remains to date.
My neighbour lives alone following her husband going into a care home last March. She has no family, and the only relatives (I believe nephews) have nothing to do with her or her husband, and reside some 250 miles away. I tried to make contact with them at the start of the year, I havn’t had the courtesy of a reply.
In these Covid times the elderly and infirm have become very isolated, more so those without family. I guess it is beholden upon the rest of us who may have elderly neighbours to just take a few minutes a week to check on our neighbours. It may be the only human contact they have, and may also like my neighbour be in a situation where they cannot summon any help.
With Christmas currently on people’s minds amid talk of lockdowns to come please have a thought for any who may be alone in the coming months.
Sorry if this post sounds like preaching to the converted but as I said it’s just a reminder to all of us, including me.
This posting reminds me of when my mum was alive. Latterly - before a care home became temporarily her abode -she lived on her own in a small detached house 100 miles away from where we live. She had an alarm pendant that she was supposed to wear always, but a mixture of defiance against doing what her son said she should do and her worsening dementia meant that the day she fell over in the hall, it was hanging over the end of the stair post, out of sight and forgotten. She lay on the floor for a couple of hours and now and again she tapped on the front door, hoping someone might come near and hear her.
As if happened, it was a fine Saturday morning and her next door neighbour who was older than her, but with a strong sense of duty as she had been a GP’s wife and a liking for keeping her house clean, decided to wash her front door step (as one does, I suppose). She heard this faint knocking noise and went to investigate. She and mum talked through the letterbox and she went off to get a key from another neighbour. Mum was saved.
Neighbours are very important, especially to old people.
A good reminder to look out for those who might need help, and well done for taking the action you did.
Where I live we have a Whatsapp group formed due to Covid and if one of the people in the street doesn’t have this, one of us will ring to keep them in touch with the street. Over the summer, this group went very quiet due to people seeing each other over garden walls etc. I think now as we enter winter, looking out for each other and checking up on people who might need support is a good thing to do. Remember though, it is not just the elderly who could need help, it could be any of us who through illness or misfortune who might appreciated some friendly support from neighbours.
Well done @ChifChaf. You can break down my doors any day. Thank you so much for the reminder. That goes with parents, family, neighbors and friends. Take care everyone.