Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Always An Adventure When I Step Out The Door

Soooo.... Weather Network says it's 42C/102F outside. I had to pick up a couple things at Sobeys, so I head over. A big storm had just skirted the city and you could hear the thunder, but by the looks of the clouds I'd make it to the grocery store and back... Mind you, by the time I got home I was drenched in sweat, so had it rained or not, the end result was the same.

As I'm coming out of Sobeys, there's a grey/gray van parked with this elderly lady sitting in the front passenger seat. The driver's side window is down and so is her's and her door is open.. Even before I stepped onto the sidewalk, you could hear her yelling something.. Something about "Where is granddad???? Why Isn't he here????"... As I'm getting closer she starts to call out to me to help her.. So, I mean, I'm honest about this, I'm no strong man, I can't lift anyone.. I don't have first aid.... But I go over and ask if she's ok and she rambles on about her "'care taker' left her and she's confused as she doesn't know where she is or where she went, she went into the store, but it's been so long, maybe she's not there... Can you help me find her?"... I'm kinda torn here... If I take this lady from the van, what if whomever her 'caretaker' is misses us and comes back to find her gone? But it's freakin 42C and it's blistering hot.. I mean, it's not like they locked her in the van... She has her seatbelt on and I ask her to removed the belt for me and she just blankly stares at me... So I ask again, same result... Then she begins to plead with me to help her find whoever she's with... So i reach in and unbuckle the seatbelt and she thanks me... Now, I don't know if she's going to fall, I don't know if she can walk from where we are to the Sobeys doors. So I ask her to wait and I'll go get help, but she begins to plead with me again, not to leave her, "please help me".... So, She gets out of the van and begins to thank me as we walk towards the Sobeys... She's rambling about some woman who went into the store and she doesn't know where she is, how long has she been there? why did she leave??
My game plan is to get her to the customer service check out, as at least IF this person she was with is checking out, they'll at least see her, as you have to pass by the customer service as you leave the store... We're just about at the doors, when an elderly gentleman is coming out and this lady says, "OHH there he is! Where have you been? Why did you leave me".... I said to the man, 'I'm sorry I took her from the van, but she was pleading with me to take her in the store to find.. I guess you'... He thanks me, she thanks me..
Poor lady, either in the grips of dementia or Alzheimer's disease... Whatever the case is, whatever 'bother' this man had felt she might have been.. I don't think leaving her in the van in the parking lot with this heat was the right choice.. It is bitching hot out, so not everyone is thinking right...But when he left, she could have just wandered off. I think someone like that should have an eye on them as much as possible...
Was a sad situation.

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