Ed and Alzheimer's

Last week I was sitting in the lobby of a medical building when I heard an elderly woman talking on the phone about her husband. His name was Ed and he dropped her off for her doctors appointment, and was going to park the car and wait for her. She was so upset because he never came back to get her and she stated, "He has never left me alone before". As she described her situation to the person on the phone she started to cry and I knew I needed to take action. She was talking to a local restaurant they were going to have lunch at after her appointment. She called to see if he was there.

After she sat down, I introduced myself and gave her my business card to identify myself. Her name was Helen. I acknowledged her situation and asked if I could help. She explained her husband "Ed" was suppose to park the car and wait for her. Then she said, "My husband has Alzheimer's and he shouldn't be driving without me."

Numerous thoughts ran through my head. Call the police, call her family, notify the doctors office she had just come from! I offered to drive to the local restaurant to see if Ed was waiting for her there.

After notifying the valet of the situation at hand we exchanged cell phone numbers in case Ed showed up as I jumped into action searching for Ed. Once arriving in the parking lot of the restaurant she described I received a call from the valet. The valet had found Ed sitting on a bench in front of the hospital a few buildings down waiting for Helen. What a relief! Once reunited, we needed to find his car which he forgot where he parked! Fortunately, he parked in the handicapped spot so it was easy to find!

Once all this was accomplished, I followed Ed and Helen home to be sure they arrived safely. Waived goodbye and wished them my best. Helen's promised to tell her daughter about the situation and never let Ed out of her sight again.

Compassion and love led me to reach out to Helen and Ed. I'm grateful the outcome was resolved very quickly. The next time you see someone in need remember to "Pass It On"!

Submitted by Anonymous

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