I havent been writing for some time, due to a multitude of reasons. I find myself compelled to write concerning something that happened to my friend, which i am concerned about, and i think that the public has a right to know.
My friend drives a cab. This morning, he was called by a lady asking to be picked up at 1081 Mohr Lane, in Concord. Upon his arrival at the location, he got out to help her with her bag, as well as her walker. He noticed that she was elderly, but seemed to have all her faculties. She got in the cab and asked to be taken to an address in Pleasant Hill, making polite conversation along the way. About 10 minutes into the drive, she said to my friend "oh, i think i left my space heater on, i should call my place and have them turn it off". He let her use his phone, and she called. After speaking to someone on the line briefly, she handed him the phone and stated that they wanted to speak to him. When my friend took the phone, the woman stated that she worked at the assisted living facility that the woman was from, and that it was also a facility that provided care for alzheimers care, and that the woman in his cab was a "patient" and he should bring her back immediately. My friend hung up the phone and turned around promptly, heading back.
Upon his return, he helped the lady inside the building, then spoke with another staff member concerning the situation. He was told that they were in no way responsible for any cab fare that the lady had incurred, and that if he felt the need, he could call the Concord police department, but that they "would'nt show up anyway, as they never do". My friend's concern was not the fare. His own father spent his last days in a care facility, not unlike this one. His concern was the well being of not just the lady that had been in his cab, but others that might "wander" out, to be found by someone not as compasionate, only to become a victim.
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The coarse and uncaring demeanor of the staff members that he dealt with seems out of balance with any "care" facility, and certainly one that finds out a resident is missing via a phone call from the back of a taxi cab. My friend went about his day, and finished his shift, went home to sleep, not knowing that i'm proud to be his friend because of things like today, things that i want to teach my son. To care about others.
