"Oh, Sandals in Winter?"... Citizen Interest Saved a Dementia Elderly Person

A heartwarming story has been shared about a dementia patient returning to their family thanks to a tip from a citizen in Mullae-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, spreading warmth during the cold winter.

On the 21st at around 5:30 PM, a citizen stopped a patrol car returning from a 112 emergency call response.

Elderly people are lining up for lunch near the free meal service for seniors at Wongaksa in Tapgol Park, Jongno-gu, Seoul. This is a stock photo unrelated to the article content.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

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The citizen said that earlier, near Anyangcheon Ecological Park, they saw an elderly man wearing a thin coat and sandals walking aimlessly in the biting cold. When asked, "Where is your home?" the man could not answer properly.

Although concerned, the citizen was in a hurry but noticed the patrol car and decided to report the situation.

Officer Oh Gwon (50) of Mullae Police Substation and probationary officer Moon Hyeong-ju (24) immediately got out of the patrol car and searched the park area based on the description provided by the citizen.

The next morning, the lowest temperature in Seoul was forecasted to drop to minus 10 degrees Celsius, and as the sun set, the temperature was rapidly falling.

After about 30 minutes of questioning nearby pedestrians and searching, Officer Oh and Officer Moon found Mr. A (76) dragging his sandals and walking weakly.

Mr. A remembered where his home was but was incoherent and unable to properly answer when asked for family contact information. Without a mobile phone, it was difficult to contact his family immediately, so they took him to the police substation and offered warm tea to thaw his frozen body.

Using the identification he carried, they confirmed that Mr. A was a dementia patient reported missing at around 9 AM that day in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province. He had walked for several hours along Anyangcheon in the opposite direction of his home.

The police contacted Mr. A’s children to inform them that their father was being protected, and handed Mr. A over to his family who came to the substation. Fortunately, Mr. A showed no noticeable health issues.

Officer Oh expressed gratitude to the citizen who noticed Mr. A and reported the situation, which could have easily been overlooked.

He said, "If you see someone in a difficult situation or someone who appears to need help, please inform the police." He added, "It is something we must do, but seeing elderly people safely return home makes me feel good and gives me a sense of fulfillment in my job."

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