Going un-noticed

We had an elderly lady here with several small homes on her property that were being remodeled. She went missing and they searched her house and her property but did little more than glance through the windows of the other buildings. She was not located, they said she must have wandered off or been picked up. About a year later her kids were getting the property cleaned up because they were going to sell it and noticed in one of the buildings in inordinate number of flies on a window in one. They went in to find the decomposed body of their mother trapped under some building materials that had fallen over on her while she was in there. She had dropped her cell phone and it was about 4 inches away from her grasp. When you looked through the window you could see the wood that was on her, but not her. I knew that lady and I just can't stand the idea that she was trapped in there and died a slow death from dehydration and starvation. They estimate she was alive for a least a week in there.
 
Around here, some police stations have a list of elderly citizens that have to call in every day. If they don't, the police call them, and if they don't answer, a squad car is sent to check on the person. I think that's a good system if you don't have family or friends nearby.
 
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I emailed Nathalie a couple months ago, and didn't hear back from her. I used to speak with her fairly regularly. I also haven't seen her on Facebook in a while... I hope all is OK with her.
 
I only lived a few miles from my widowed mom, but one of us kids called her everyday, and if we couldn't get ahold of her, I would drive up and see what was going on. I got a tongue lashing (gently) more than once for checking on her when she was busy and just not able to answer her phone. She said she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, and why did we always have to check on her. It was funny, but what I would give to go check on that sweet lady today. Been gone since 1990.
 
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Thank you
hugs.gif
Its nice to "see" you.
 
*sigh* my mother is like this - reclusive is putting it mildly. She lives in a small town in rural West, I'm near Atlanta. She says the neighbors in her building all check on each other, she is very independent minded. My sis lives only 10 hours away. So when Mom knocks the phone off the hook and won't realize it for days, its been a bit of panic, but the neighbors sis calls will go over to check her and her phone. I worry I'm being a bad person not making her move in with us, but there are many reasons for her not to live with us too. At least now? I'm haunted by all the self-isolated old people I met on a job years back.

I don't even know my own neighbors. Pathetic.
 

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