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A little old lady lives across the street and was always very active, doing her own gardening, etc. The past couple of months she has called my brother (her neighbor) over about some concerns, but now she has started imagining that someone is putting things in her garage or has taken her electrical panel box, etc. She is now becoming paranoid.


It doesn't seem she has any relatives checking on her. What do you suggest he do for her well being? She is still driving and he has seen her driving around the neighborhood a few times, most likely looking for her house.

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I would contact your local Senior Center and ask if they have a program that will check in on someone.
You can contact APS and ask for a check on her.
If she mentions that she thinks someone has broken into the garage that might be a way to contact the police and they can assess the situation and refer it to other agencies if they think it is necessary.
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I saw a little old lady riding her bicycle in my neighborhood the other day. It was the first time that I saw this woman. She wasn’t wearing a helmet.

She was creeping along about 1 mile an hour! It made me very uncomfortable to see her.

This wasn’t a three wheel. It was a regular bike. I said a little prayer for her to be protected as I drove past her.

It is sad to see elderly neighbors taking risk by driving or riding a bike. I know that it’s fine if they are still capable but in situations where they aren’t, it’s frightening.
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I would google the phone number for your local APS( adult protective services) & tell them. You can remain anonymous if you’d like. They will come out, assess the situation & go from there.
Your a very kind neighbor to & I respect you for trying to help her!
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Your brother can ask her about relatives, or close friends, who might be able to become involved.

I would be careful about assumptions though, such as that driving around the neighborhood  is "most likely looking for her house."   She could just be reminiscing, or providing herself with some spring viewing.    We used to drive around some neighborhoods, just to remind us of past times.  

And we almost always drove by the beach where we spent a lot of time individually and as a family.  There are a lot of good memories, as well as the soothing landscape around the lake.

One thing your brother could do is segue into a conversation about meals, focusing on whether she's getting enough to eat.  If she expresses concern, he could explore making arrangements for Meals on Wheels.

Also, please be careful in stating that she has dementia; while there are some obvious signs, it's not appropriate to make that kind of conclusion, especially if you haven't seen her at all, or if your brother is not a medical person or isn't experienced with dementia.
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Pasa18 Apr 2021
Thank you for your comments about others making assumptions. My mother drove her car just to keep it in working condition around her neighborhood and most likely out of familiarity and nostalgia. She passed her driver's test at 90. A neighbor told me she was driving on the wrong side of the street around the corner. When I asked her, she explained that it was a street cleaning day and there were no cars on that side of the road and safer. Her reasoning appeared sound. Anyway, I think the neighbor called APS or there seemed to be a number of people wanting to 'help her' (and get paid). Her primary physician did assess her as sound and a few years later with mild cognitive decline. It's been such a slow gradual up and down just the past two years.
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You are kind to be concerned.

Just don't get too involved! Unless you want to possibly find yourself the primary CG for her.

Reporting her to APS and giving them as much info as you can would be a jumping off point.
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Call police to do a wellness check or call APS.
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