Chinese Woman In Her 80's With Alzheimers Decends 10 Stories To Escape Locked Flat

A Chinese grandmother living in Chengdu, who was suffering from Alzheimers, escaped from her families locked 14th floor apartment. Yesterday, she climbed out of an unlocked window and started to climb down the exterior of the high-rise building, while carrying a red fabric bag. Firefighters were about ready to place an "inflatable mattress underneath the woman," when she was pulled into safety by a family on the fourth floor. She had descended 10 stories using the metal bars that was outside a ventilation shaft. This lady was in her 80's!

One firefighter told local media that they were about to place an inflatable mattress underneath the woman before the neighbors pulled her to safety. It was not immediately clear if the woman suffered any injuries in the incident.

www.thedailybeast.com...



Her family probably didn't have the financial resources to move her into an adult care center. I'm sure her family had her best interests in mind and probably were horrified to discover what had happened. Alzheimers is such a terrible disease and I'm amazed this old lady didn't lose her grip and fall.

One of my grandparents had alzheimer's pretty badly towards the end. I always found it wild that she saw me as her son and didn't know some of her own children and another of her sons looked to her as though he was her husband. It made me think that they somehow revert back in time to early memories and the latter half of their life just goes away.

While reading this, it dawned on me how someone could experience this crazy world those poor people are living, at least in some part, as the symptoms may be similar but the experiences by that person could be different. In this case...

Imagine going to bed one night and in the morning when you wake up, it's as though someone moved you to an unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar town of an unknown country and you know no one around you. Imagine the kind of shock you would suffer. Imagine your experience.

Looking at it in a comical way, I'd say something like "I'd be all Dun Dun - Dun Dun Dun Dun - Dah dah dahhhh... dah dah dahhh.." But in reality, I probably wouldn't know my own reflection in the mirror and woke up thinking it was 50 years prior and everything about everything around me is wrong!

That is your bad dreams coming true...

Oddly, I have dreams like this, being stuck somewhere I don't know anything or anyone, always trying to get home to someone I love but can't.

Poor woman...

a reply to: StallionDuck

My Grand father thought my name was Lloyd (which it is nothing even close to it), He ratted out everyone in the family as to what he knew about their behaviors. Kind of funny, but still sad that he couldn't remember who I was.

It always seemed to me (after it was explained what he might be going through) that it is like the episode of "The Twilight Zone" where the guy wakes up and nobody knows who he is, then at the end of the episode his wife wakes up to the same issue. I'd imagine it would be like that. You wake up not knowing who everyone is, but knowing that they remind you of someone, then you think you're speaking you first language but can only hear a new language coming from everyone else.

originally posted by: shawmanfromny
Her family probably didn't have the financial resources to move her into an adult care center.

That really isn't a thing there, Chinese feel obligated to care for their elders themselves.

feel obligated do they ? and that speaks volumes about our attitudes for people doesnt it .
They do not fell obligated they feel they are give back a gift that was given to them .
A gift of life its self .
Lord knows so many old people here stuck in homes who never even get visited even on holidays .
I use to make gift baskets and go to a retirement home and have my kids hand them out .

Obligated = Kids are expensive / Got to be the stupidest thing said ever .
Kids can be assigned no Monterrey value . You put a million into your child do it right and that kid will put back 100 million .

a reply to: midnightstar


Yeah, you read way too much into what I said.

a reply to: StallionDuck

There is an episode of Big Love (awesome HBO series) where Lois, the matriarch, has been suffering increasing dementia. Her son brings her a hat from her younger days and puts it on her and has her look into the mirror, hoping it will cheer her up.

She looks in the mirror and says "Who is that? She's wearing my hat. She's ugly! She's ugly!" because she was expecting to see herself years ago. Back in time, as you said. It's hearbreaking.

Heartbreaking to think about, and heartbreaking to experience.

I wish we could find a cure for it.

originally posted by: KansasGirl
a reply to: StallionDuck

There is an episode of Big Love (awesome HBO series) where Lois, the matriarch, has been suffering increasing dementia. Her son brings her a hat from her younger days and puts it on her and has her look into the mirror, hoping it will cheer her up.

She looks in the mirror and says "Who is that? She's wearing my hat. She's ugly! She's ugly!" because she was expecting to see herself years ago. Back in time, as you said. It's hearbreaking.

Heartbreaking to think about, and heartbreaking to experience.

I wish we could find a cure for it.

Reminds me of the Matrix where Morpheus tells Neo that he is a digital image of his projected self.

I'm paraphrasing there but I hope you get my gist.