Reuniting Loved Ones

On a warm summer day, our Tamil Nadu Helpline-cum-Help Desk staff received a distressing call from the traffic police. They had encountered an elderly man, found wandering the streets of Chennai alone, and requested our assistance in providing him with shelter. Our social worker promptly responded to the call and arrived at the scene to assess the situation. The elderly man – later identified as Vembuli (name changed) – appeared to be around 70 years old and was suffering from progressive dementia, resulting in severe memory loss. His responses to questions were fragmented and incoherent, indicating his vulnerable mental state.

Our team reached out to the local police and transported Vembuli to a partner senior care home for immediate shelter. During the journey, Vembuli provided some surprising information—he mentioned that he was a retired government employee receiving a monthly pension. This new detail prompted us to dig deeper into his background.

The team coordinated with the police to check for any missing person reports in the area, as Vembuli vaguely mentioned his address being nearby. Their persistence paid off when we discovered that a missing complaint had indeed been filed at the police station. Armed with this information, the team immediately took Vembuli to the station.

Upon arrival at the police station, the officers promptly informed his family members about his whereabouts. In a heart-warming turn of events, several family members rushed to the station as soon as they received the call. The emotional reunion that followed was overwhelming—Vembuli’s family recognised him instantly and were moved to tears, having feared the worst during his absence.