Funny Locksmith calls?

[jimb]

I've gotten use to letting people into their homes, but yesterday I got a call to let someone out of their home.

The funny part of the call was it was dispatched requesting valid ID for proof of residence.

The rest of the storys not funny. It was a 80 year old woman in a wheel chair living by herself who could not get her door unlocked to get out. I did not bother asking for her ID.

[Krypos]

nice. always great when ya get something dumb funny like that.

[toiletplumber]

not so funny when you see her wheeling off a tv set as your driving off.

[horsefeathers]

This isnt funny but sad!

Yesterday I was sitting down just starting to eat my dinner when a lady knocked on my door. She said she was delivering the parish magazine locally and that a few doors further along the street lived a frail elderly lady who seemed confused and could not get out of her house as it was locked and didnt know where her keys were.

Me and the lady popped along and found the confused lady behind her upvc door trying to open her lock with two hairbrushes, rubbing them on the euro cylinder. Myself and the first lady tried to get through to her to ask if she knew where her keys might be, but to no avail. The first lady went round neighbours to see if they had been given any spare keys, while I went round the back and bumped the WMS euro on the patio door. A quick search and the keys were soon spotted (in a fairly obvious place). I opened up her front door and as keys to the patio door were not evident, I bumped it again to re-lock the door, and re-entered through the front door.

The poor lady was in her late eighties and suffering from Alzheimers. SHe was so confused and rambling. A neighbour had said that she has a carer stay overnight with her every day and should be there shortly. Me and the first lady decided that one of us (her in the end) should stay with her - after all we couldnt risk leaving her with an unlocked door in case she wandered out and down the street....and we couldnt get her to lock herself in, in case she forgot again where she put down the keys and cant get out again. Then she started to think I was a Doctor (having seen my aluminium case)....then she started fumbling in her purse, trying to pay us both for our help.

This was my first experience with someone with Alzheimers and quite frankly it scared me. It must be one of the most cruel diseases a person could get. She herself is at the stage of probably being unaware what is wrong with her and yet cant do anything right, or remember simple stuff. Heartbreaking!

[taylorgdl]

A nurse friend of mine once said:
"Alzheimers dosn't effect the person half as much as it effects the family".

I guess seeing a family member deteriorate so badly is pretty harsh, especially when they are blissfully unaware.

G.

[!*AMP*!]

I have to agree, alzheimers is one of the saddest diseases to see someone go through. The early to middle stages I think are some of the saddest, because the person knows to some degree what is happening to himself/herself. I once knew an old man (has sinced passed away), who was really a great guy, a WWII vet, and was awesome to talk to, but he was diagnosed with alzheimers. He used to be the kindest guy, and wouldn't say anything bad about anyone, but as time went on, you could hear him in the neighborhood cussing at the top of his lungs, and God only knows what. He would cuss you out, and whatever was at his current fancy, then when it wore off for a while, he would be right back to how he used to be. Really sad.