It takes a village…

In view of the frequent criticism of first responders and social services, I’d like to report a case where everything went well and quite a few public servants went well beyond the call of duty.

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On Wednesday, Jan. 4, water was seen flowing from the condominium unit of an elderly man, we’ll call him James, in Highland Heights.

Water was seeping through the walls into adjoining condos. James did not answer the door or telephone calls. The condo management company and MLGW said they could do nothing without a call from James.

But an informal committee of neighbors became concerned and called the police. Officer Street of the Tillman precinct responded, shared our concern, and called the Fire Department. They broke in the front door and found the first floor badly flooded, with several large ceiling holes and water flowing from a broken pipe. They found James in bed upstairs, seriously confused. He could not recall when he had last eaten or been downstairs. There was no food in the moldy refrigerator.

Apparently, there was a pipe break on Dec. 24, the main water cutoff in his condo did not work, and he had been too bewildered to call a plumber.

The neighbors, many meeting each other for the first time, got busy.

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Someone found a contractor who could immediately bring a plumber. Water to the entire condo complex was shut off long enough to fix the cutoff in the affected unit.

Officer Street called Adult Protective Services, an agency able to act rapidly, at 888-APS-TENN. Chris Stockdale of that agency responded quickly with advice and possible plans. We were told that the way to get James prompt help from the system, if he was willing, was to get him to a hospital for a checkup. There medical personnel could see if there were immediate physical problems or other causes of his confusion, and to have the hospital social services person research what his medical insurance or homeowner’s insurance would pay towards temporary housing while his home was uninhabitable.

James was reluctant to go to the hospital, so he was taken to one of the neighbor’s homes to be bathed, fed and given a haircut, shave, and nail trim. Others tracked down his insurance and looked for relatives.

That day, water-soaked carpets and furniture were removed and the drying-out process started so that additional water would not seek into adjoining condos. By the next day, a granddaughter was located in California. Officer Street and Chris Stockdale stayed in touch.

On Friday, James was able to discuss the situation somewhat more clearly, spoke to his granddaughter on the phone, and agreed to go to the hospital for a checkup. The Fire Department crew, spokesman Jay Cifaldi, took him to Methodist North, where one of the volunteers could bring anything necessary. The police told the hospital he could not return to his home. The hospital kept him for about nine hours, examined him, spoke to his granddaughter about his condition, and several neighbors answered questions for the granddaughter.

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James was put to bed in a hotel for the night, as this was less expensive than a hospital admission. On Saturday morning, the contractor picked him up, went by his home to pick up clothes laundered by the neighbors, took him to lunch, and put him on the airplane to California where he was met by the granddaughter.

This was a case where police, fire, and social services as well as neighbors responded with remarkable speed and care. Many other police and firefighters assisted, along with many other participants and contributions I cannot include here. Memphis has people who can do remarkable things. Thank you, all!

Edward Ordman, Memphis