A while back Ben InTexas posed a hypothetical question “what if one of us bloggers died in our home and no one knew.” Since he is a daily blogger with updates throughout the day…well we would certainly take note that something was out of place if he did not do his daily post. http://benntexas.blogspot.com/ But how about those people who do not go online or who for that matter do not even have friends or relatives living close by? Worst yet if they happen to be elderly and living by themselves and whose families do not even care about their well-being?
This is a topic that perhaps very few of us care to discuss but one that perhaps deserves our attention. I was going to post about this two weeks ago when the death of an elderly gentlemen touched me. He lived alone and apparently did not have family. The only reason they found him was because the mailman reported that there was a foul odor emitting from the residence. When the police entered his home they found his body in an advance state of decomposition. They performed an autopsy and ruled he died from natural causes.
I was reading the free online page of the Del Rio News Herald and I was literally shocked to find that three more have died in the same fashion. Del Rio is not a very big town. We have just shy of 50,000 residents and in the past two weeks we have had four deaths of senior citizens in their residences. The common factor is that they all lived alone. http://delrionewsherald.com/news/article_fceb2238-2b31-11e1-8d4f-0019bb2963f4.html
Do you keep in touch with your elderly relatives or neighbors? If you live alone whether you are elderly or not, is there a person you are in contact with that would take note if they did not hear from you? Do you have a trusted friend that has a key to your house and that could get access to your home just in case? Do your friends have a way of contacting your family in case you became ill or had to be hospitalized?
Food for thought….
On a much happier note, it turned out to be a beautiful day. Since there is rain and a cold front in the forecast decided to take advantage while I could and did two loads of laundry.
Once again we are on the same laundry schedule.
ReplyDeleteYour post merits a lot of thought from the older generation, such as myself. Does it really matter when and how you are found? Dead is dead.
ReplyDeleteI can't do this. It makes me sound so cold and I'm not at all a cold person. I'm a full of life person. As full as I can be under the circumstances. Thoughts and fear of death left me a few years ago. Now it's the thought of when that concerns me. Like what the hell I gonna do with "Sally da house" and this damn "that jeep". Of course Sadie Mae is a big concern that I have no answer for.
Yes, your post has posed some thoughts in my mind.
I only do laundry when I ain't got no more clean scruffties. Never know when ya might need clean scruffties.
Lol Joe, it sure looks that way.
ReplyDeleteBilly Bob, I do not consider you comment cold. I am with you that dead is dead, but I thought it such a shame that this poor man's body was in an advanced state of decomposition and nobody knew, not even the neighbors.
ReplyDeleteDying is not exclusive of the older generation it can happen to any of us. I too worry if I died who would take care of my mom? What would happen to my house, who would handle my personal affairs?
You have children, grandchildren...I am sure they would take care of Sadie Mae.
Well, it's for dang sure that all of us are going to die. But God don't choose to tell us when or where so we can't alert someone that on such and such date, you better call the EMT's.
ReplyDeleteOf course the police will always do a home check on someone. I had a neighbor not long ago that didn't show up for thanksgiving meal. I waited a couple days then finally called County Sheriff. Turns out he was OK,just in jail! I guess the local PD would be the first place to start looking for someone you are concerned about.
But you do bring up a good question. and I don't have the definitive answer for you.
the after life is said to be better than this one , maybe that is why people are dying to get into heaven?
ReplyDeleteWith BB on dying, but you could lay there for days before you died. That's the scary part.
ReplyDeleteBen you got that right the police department would be the first place to contact for a welfare check on someone but that would mean you are concerned about someone be it neighbor or relative.
ReplyDeleteI am talking about people who apparently do not have family or anyone concerned about them to place a home check.
Lol, Complaints.
ReplyDeleteTrouble in Texas - the first gentlemen that died was 91 years old and I wonder if perhaps he fell and then could not get up or crawl to his phone (if he even had one) and perhaps died of hunger or cold and just eventually passed away.
ReplyDeleteWe will never know if he suffered or not. He lived in a very poor part of town. His death has haunted me since I read about it.
MsB: All good advice.
ReplyDeleteStay warm, and hope you have a most felize navidad.
Thank you Suerte. Feliz Navidad to you and your loved ones as well.
ReplyDelete