Lost old lady
As I was walking back from Shinkoiwa station tonight, when I got close to the intersection where my house is, I saw an old lady wander into the intersection, completely ignoring the signal, obviously lost, and watched as she started walking down the middle of the road! Fortunately there was no traffic at the time.
I didn’t want to startle her, so I hailed a passing woman on a bicycle and asked her to help.
She approached the woman, who thought she was in Nakasakai. She said she was 80, but she didn’t have any ID or a phone or anything.
We called the police, and waited for them to come. In the meanwhile I got her some cold water since she was obviously thirsty.
She could talk clearly, but except for her name she didn’t know anything about where she was supposed to be.
Finally the police came and helped her into the back seat of the police car and said they would try to find out who she is and get her back where she belongs.
This is the third time I’ve found a wandering lost old lady in my neighborhood and had to call the police since I moved to Shinkoiwa 7 years ago. Am I an old-lady-with-dementia magnet?
Anyway, I’m glad we got her out of the road and safe into the hands of the police.
I’ve had similar experiences with elderly gentleman here in Japan. Once in Morioka, and once in Ebisu. In the first, the gentleman knew where he lived but had wandered too far from home, and it was too dark for him to find his way homes as dusk approached. In the second, an elderly gentleman joined us on a park bench in Ebisu for a friendly chat, but later as we got up to leave he admitted he was lost asked if we could help him. He couldn’t remember where he lived or where he was going. Luckily some shopowners in the area knew him.
Oh Doug, you’re just an old lady chick magnet! LOL!