16/01/2026
This is a little call to action. Please pay attention to what’s happening around you on the streets..
Last night on my way home from an event, I met an elderly man walking on the sidewalk. Next to him was walking a woman. What immediately felt wrong was the fact that the man was wearing only pajamas! and underwear over the pajama pants. He had no jacket, just thin pajamas, even though it was very cold outside.
When I passed them, I asked the woman if everything was okay. She said she was just going home and had met him a moment earlier. After a quick check, I asked her to call the police because the man couldn’t answer simple questions like his name or address where he's living. He didn’t have a bag, a wallet, or anything with him, so there was no way he had his keys either. I suspected he might have wandered out of a care home.
I wrapped my scarf around him and gave him my gloves because he was freezing, but he kept walking forward, saying he lived just around the corner. To be sure, we walked with him to check if someone was actually waiting for him. He couldn’t say under which name he lived and was clearly very tired, so we asked him to sit down on a bench and rest while we waited for the police.
The man agreed, and I started rubbing his hands and back to warm him up. Even though he seemed mentally absent (probably dementia), he said he liked it🥹 A few minutes later, the police arrived. They checked the back of his clothes near the neck, where the label was, and found a patch with his personal details — his name and other information.
A very important lesson for the future👆
The police took the man with them, and we could continue our way home. It turned out the other woman and I are neighbors. We exchanged numbers, and maybe this will be the beginning of a new friendship 😊
Please, stay aware of what’s going on around you. React🙏 Sometimes it’s enough to simply ask if everything is okay. A little empathy and willingness to help, can save someone’s life ❤️
