I have not posted for awhile......been dealing with some personal stuff. When you are generally a strong individual you too can sometimes bend, but being strong also means that you can pull yourself up as well. It just takes some time and some reflection.
So, yesterday afternoon we were all doing this out in the yard. It was a beautiful Sat. and there were things to be done! Max was messing with the brakes and a new muffler on his car, John was instructing and I had been pulling various weeds and the like from my gardens all the while sipping a nice red wine.
When all was said and done Max and his girlfriend were walking down the driveway to head to the mall and John and I were going inside when they came back to get me and said that there was an old lady laying on the sidewalk out front!
I told John to call 911 and I ran out front. There she was laying on the sidewalk, her walking chair tipped over and some smallish, freaked out woman was consoling her. I went in to EMT mode and began to assess her situation. They were trying to get her out for a walk, but she hit a crack in the sidewalk and fell. The other lady could not get her up and was freaked out.
The victim really wanted to get up, but I was wary, due to her age to let her just get up. John came out with his cell phone and they just wanted to call family. She lives on the lower end of our street. Just her and her elderly husband. One of her kids was going to come over. They really did not want EMS called although her did hit her head and I was concerned about that.
She did get helped home, by John and her son, and as we walked home I noticed something. There were other neighbors out on their porch and they had just watched the whole thing unfold and never once said anything, or offered any assistance. Even if it wasn't needed. How could they see us, on the sidewalk, with this very elderly woman and not get up and ask if help was needed?
As we were still on the sidewalk I noticed that an SUV pulled up near us and the kid whose dad lives in the house we were in front of, got out of the car and ran inside for a few seconds and then back out. His mom had pulled up a few feet away and let him out of the car. She saw us all huddled around this old lady, she had previously lived on this street when married to the kids dad, and she did not even roll down the window to ask if we needed anything! I was shocked or maybe I am just naive?
Are people so indifferent? How could/can you ignore someone laying on a sidewalk or in a street? Especially in such a residential neighborhood. It's not like we were in a ghetto or inner city setting. It is very unusual to see something like that here. I was happy that Max came back to get me. It is nice to know that he knew that it was the right thing to do. I hate to think that these other neighbors saw this happen/happening and were so indifferent that they did nothing.
I know that in this day and age people rarely know their neighbors anymore, but I still can not imagine how you can see someone in need of assistance and not do anything.
She said that she did have a bump on her head. You can't make anyone transport or receive assistance if they do not want it, so I just hope that she is okay today.
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