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In which Neil does a good thing
Sent in by Kristen Hughes
Last Sunday, a car came to a stop at the end of our street and just sat oddly parked with the lights on for a while, so my husband went out to check on them. The car was driven by an elderly man who was with his wife. He said they were stuck and so my husband looked up a towing company he found on his phone and made the call for them.
When Neil from Cozino Towing & Recovery got here, he talked to the couple and then approached my husband and I with his concerns. The couple thought they were only a little way from their house, but they gave him an address in Williamsburg. They had no idea that they were in Richmond, and they couldn’t tell us where they had been or how long they had been traveling. When we asked them if they had any children we could call, they couldn’t remember their names, much less could they give us even one phone number. They were very obviously in no condition to drive, and Neil didn’t want to tow their car to Williamsburg when it wasn’t at all clear if they were able to tell him the right address.
Neil suggested we contact the police and ask for their help. In just a few minutes, several officers arrived. They ran the license plate and found that the couple’s children had filed a missing persons report for them earlier in the evening. The man had dementia (and unfortunately most likely his wife has it too), both were diabetic, and they had been gone from their home since 10 AM that morning. The police called the paramedics and thankfully, they were both in good physical health – just very confused and tired.
The police and paramedics were competent and compassionate, and made sure the couple got home safely, and were as comfortable as possible in the meantime. I’m sure they do this kind of thing every day, but I rarely have the chance to hear about it or see them in action. A local businessman spent at least an hour in Church Hill, late on a Sunday night, helping out a couple he never met and that didn’t actually turn out to need his services – the car wasn’t broken down or stuck – it was just the driver that ran out of fuel. Neil just seemed happy that he could help.
I’m sure there are a million stories like this that happen all the time in Church Hill, but it’s really nice to know folks are looking out for each other.
TAGGED: Cozino Towing & Recovery
No fair making me cry at 7 am. Thank you, Neil, and Kristen, and the police who responded. That could have ended horribly. Community is beautiful. ::sniff:: Now back to my coffee.
Wonderful story – thanks for posting.
I’m glad this had a happy ending, but is it a good idea for people with dementia and diabetes to be on their own, unsupervised, and driving a car? And apparently without a cell phone with an emergency contact in it? Or a GPS? Unaware that they’re not in Williamsburg and the the car is out of gas?
This seems like a recipe for bad news.
Neil for Mayor!
+1
As someone who had to deal with two parents with dementia (and the eventual taking away of their keys), thank you Neil for being the kind of person to care.
Ziti–yes it is a bad idea. but clearly they did not have bad intentions. it seems like their children keep a pretty close watch on them, thus the missing persons report. i’m sure they’ve been advised to not drive or venture out on their own. but you can’t keep them handcuffed to a chair can you??
Ziti, As a child who eventually had to take the keys away from a parent it is hard and difficult position to be in.
I am glad the events had a happy ending.
We just recently went through the process of admitting my MIL to a nursing home because of advanced dementia. It seems like, as a child of the parent (only child actually), you should be able to do this fairly easily for their own safety but you can’t. It took us 2 long months to go through the process and get her admitted. This couple will never know how lucky they were to end up where they did but I promise you, their family knows. You guys rock!
@9 (Morgan) & 10 (EDS)
I didn’t say they had bad intentions, I didn’t suggest handcuffing them to a chair, and I don’t doubt that it’s very difficult to take the car keys (and independence more generally) away from someone. I don’t understand why people are representing me as saying any of that.
But it’s also hard for elderly people with dementia and diabetes to take care of themselves, which is what this episode illustrates. It’s partly a matter of luck, and partly due to people like Neil, Kristen and her husband, that this didn’t turn out much worse for that elderly couple.
Sad situation with a semi-sweet ending. I am just glad they (or someone else) didn’t end up getting hurt or worse and running out of gas would have been a blessing under the circumstances. Glad there are people like Neil that do care!
*GOD* BLESS YOU NEIL. AN EARTHLY ANGELY
That touches my heart, dearly. My last living Aunt and Uncle Bill just passed away not long ago. He was 92. She was 89. They had just had birthdays, they passed away 39 days apart. *GOD* NEVER MADE ANYONE LIKE THEM. THEY DID FOR EVERYONE. THEY GAVE LOVE SO FREELY, THAT THEIR EX-IN-LAWS ARE ALWAYS HELPING. ONCE YOU HAD THEIR LOVE, YOU WERE FAMILY FOREVER.MY UNCLE WOULD GET ‘MISPLACED’ BUT HE HAD AN INFORMATION SHEET ON HIM ALL THE TIME. MAY YOU REST IN LOVING PEACE….. xo, p.j. <3