posted on Mar, 22 2011 @ 06:45 AM
Mods, I believe the core values Im going to discuss make this a thread that should be in the "Social Issues" forum. If not please move to the
appropriate forum....thanks.
I have a friend of 5 years who is a young 79 years old who lives alone and keeps in good health for her age. Last night at 9.20pm I received a text
message from her (It was sent by her at 8.25pm) stating that she wasnt feeling too good and had gone to bed. I tried calling her and left a message on
both her landline and mobile asking her to let me know how she was in the morning.
By 10.15pm I had a niggling bell ringing in my head that led me to call again as I was concerned due to the fact that I knew she was always late out
of bed. By 10.30 I had tried to call her a few more times, before deciding to go to her house to check all was well. I based this decision on " It
wasnt like her to have to go to bed unwell and her hearing is realy good".
25 minutes later I was knocking on her door and her front bedroom window where her bedroom is. No reply led to heavy banging on both but again there
was no stirring or lights going on. I also continued to call both her mobile and landline.
Her nearest neighbour lives 5 yards away ( Both are fully detatched houses), the lights were on, they must have heard me banging and I thought it best
to let them know what I was doing.
A miidle aged couple answered, I introduced myself explaining the situation and my concerns. I showed them the original text message and asked if they
knew where my friends domestic cleaner lived. I knew it was close to her house and that she had a key. The ladies reply floored me, she didnt know
where the cleaner lived and she would call my friend herself. I explained that I had spent the last 10 minutes calling her but this was ignored.
Due to feeling I was wasting my time and being made to feel uncomfortable by the neighbours I resumed ringing the bell, hammering the door and window
and calling my friends name loudly. After a few minutes I turned to see the next door couple standing on my friends path, arms folded and offering no
solution other than I was going to set my friends burglar alarm off !.
It was now 11.20 and I felt it was time to get some advice or support so I told them I was going to call the police so they could gain entry. Her
reply sums up this whole OP, she said " I have a key". Stiffling my anger I told her to go get it and she left to do that. 5 minutes later she
returned, not with a key, but with a wireless landline handset. On the other end of the phone was my friends sister from London. By now my frustration
and anger was winning, I explained the situation to the sister, who advised me just to go back home and that everything would be fine.
Not willing to do that I told her iether the neighbour goes in or I call the police to take advice and ask them to help gain entry. The neighbour
refused so I called the police. They arrived , made the neighbour open the door and the end result is that my friend has flu, the doctor was called
and they are taking her into hospital this morning to keep an eye on her due to her age. The police thanked me for my perciverance and the sister from
London called me to apologise and thank me for my intervention.
We see so many people turning the other cheek to those who are in trouble. The woman being assaulted by the partner and the "Drunk" face down on the
street who is realy in a diabetic coma. I can now understand the pressure people feel in those situations as at times my head was saying "Stuff it"
just go back home. But we really have to go by our own instincts in a situation no matter the obstacles that society or other people put in your
way.
Later I will go visit my friend in hospital and when she is well enough I will ask her to consider getting a remote alarm system in case should she
ever be unwell in the future.
One last point..... How many of us are depending on people to support us when needed without informing them how they should react when that time
comes? Im sure my friend had every faith in her neighbours and probably has had for many years. The fact is, she needed medical assistance and they
were an obstacle to her getting it.
How many of us are in the same boat and we dont know it?
Respects