She traveled all over Warsaw by tram and finally got lost and disoriented. She didn’t remember where she lived. It was similar with an 81-year-old man who did not want to get off the bus at the terminus. He said he wanted to go home but didn’t know how. Another elderly man was taken care of by restaurant employees. These events ended happily. However, a very difficult time is coming for seniors who have memory problems, but not only them. It is worth ensuring their safety. Determining the identity of people who are missing or have memory problems is significantly facilitated by, for example, a card with telephone numbers placed in their clothing or wallet pocket.
Late in the evening of October 25, one of the trams broke down on Grochowska Street. Several trains were stuck in a traffic jam. Their drivers received information that they would start in just a few dozen minutes. The tram driver of line 6, like others, informed passengers about this. However, he noticed that one woman did not react to this information.
“He realized that the woman had memory problems and called the city guards. The woman was nervous. She told the guards that she must have got the wrong tram because she didn’t know where she was and how to get home,” the Warsaw City Guard said in a statement.
They promised to help her. They covered her with a thermal blanket and took her out of the carriage to the stop. The woman didn’t remember where she lived. She admitted that she had been driving around the city for quite a long time, so she was hungry and thirsty.
“The guards shared a sandwich with her and offered her some water. When the woman calmed down, her details and presumed home address were established. Another patrol confirmed that the senior citizen actually lived in Bielany. A patrol from Grochów took the woman to her apartment in Wrzecion. Thanks to the guards, the senior woman’s escapade ended happy,” the statement added.
He wanted to go home, but he didn’t know how
On the evening of October 23, bus line 723 arrived at the Żerań FSO terminus. The driver finished work but noticed an elderly man on one of the seats. The passenger not only refused to exit the vehicle. He also stated that he did not know where he was. The driver called the city guards, and they quickly realized that the passenger had memory problems. He said he didn’t know where he was and wanted to go home but didn’t know how.
They continued the conversation at the bus stop, trying to find out his address. The document he had with him showed that he was an 81-year-old resident of Legionowo. It also turned out that this was not the older man’s first such adventure.
“Thanks to this, contact with his relatives was established. The guards called his son. The man explained that his father had taken advantage of the family’s inattention and left the house. His disappearance had already been reported to the police. The son came to Żerań to pick up his father, who had now calmed down and happily returned to home,” the statement said.
The elderly man was taken care of by restaurant employees
On October 18, a helpless, elderly man was noticed by employees of an oriental restaurant at Rondo Washington. They took care of him and called the city guards. The man spoke quietly and very slowly. He had trouble remembering his name and where he lived. He had no idea where he was. After a long conversation, we managed to determine the man’s probable name and surname and approximate address in Mokotów. The officers called a police patrol to confirm the data. While checking personal details, information arrived that the man’s 73-year-old wife and her family came to the district headquarters in Mokotów to report his disappearance. The guards took him to the Mokotów police station. A quarter before 8 p.m. the man was handed over to the care of his family.
Such a card can greatly help an elderly person return home safelyMunicipal Police
A card, wristband, watch, phone can help
Putting it in your pocket makes it much easier to determine the identity of missing people who have memory problems card with phone number to your loved ones. Prevention of many dangerous situations to which older people may be exposed is to provide them with: accessories that may, for example, make it easier to determine its location or at least identify it if found by the police or other third parties. You can give it to an elderly person as a gift watch with GPS functionmake sure she always has it with her mobile phone or insert a piece of paper with the address and contact number (it is best to sew it into your clothes so that it is not lost or thrown away).
An elderly person doesn’t answer the phone? You didn’t find him at the apartment? This does not necessarily mean that the senior is missing. His absence may be temporary and caused by going for a walk, meeting friends or going to church. You can check the most frequently visited places on your own. However, if a family member does not return and has memory problems or loses orientation, it is time to notify the police. A current photo showing the image of a missing person is worth its weight in gold. A photo from 10 years ago will probably be out of date. Provide the police with detailed information about the senior – age, height, weight, hair and eye color, characteristics, clothing, and diseases. Think and prepare a list of places that the older person has visited or been emotionally attached to. You can also search for a missing person on your own, but be in contact with the police officers involved in the search. If found, immediately inform the unit involved in the activities. We appeal for increased care for seniors. Each of us has professional and home responsibilities. However, try to find time to monitor what is happening to an older family member.
Main photo source: Municipal Police