Dementia can be a very difficult issue and it is not hard for someone who has dementia to forget information we would consider basic. It doesn’t matter if it is how to care for themselves or even who their family members are, those memories fade as a result of the disease.
One of the concerns for individuals with dementia is if they happen to get lost. There are many elderly people who have dementia that are still mobile, and that was the case with this 81-year-old woman. Her daughter called the Charles County Sheriff’s Office to let them know that her mother had gone missing. She had taken her usual walk in the driveway but never came back to the house.
The officers recognized that it could be a very serious problem and got right to work. A number of police officers, including a K-9 unit, began combing through the wooded area surrounding the house.
Thankfully, it only took 40 minutes for her to be found. Officer Morrison, who is one of the officers that was looking for her did something, however, that truly took the Internet by storm.
According to the Charles County Sheriff’s office Facebook page:
Officers encounter different situations every day. Some good, some not so good. In this case, a frightening situation for the family ended happily. For that, they were thankful. For us, it’s the rewarding part of policing.
At first, she seemed confused at the sudden appearance of police officers on the tree-lined trail, and she asked if the officers were out taking a walk, too. They quietly replied ‘Yes,’ after all, it was a beautiful day. And then she seemed relieved and told them she had lost her way. ‘No problem,’ said Officer Morrison who then gently took her hand and along with the other officers walked her back to her house. Along the way, the officers made small talk with the woman, to make her feel at ease.
When asked what the key to a long, healthy life was, the woman replied, ‘Eat good and stay active.’
Via: Facebook
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