3-July-2012 A 74-year-old Alzheimer's patient, who wandered off from his Bandra home on Saturday, was found and reunited with his family hours later, thanks to an alert police patrol.
MUMBAI : Fr Sabino D'silva, a retired priest who is cared for at the Clergy Home, Bandra Bandstand, ventured out alone at 11.20 am and was found ambling about a street in Lower Parel around 9.30 pm. He later told cops that he had travelled to Mahalaxmi by train and then walked to Lower Parel. Though he could not recall other events of the day, the 74-year-old's family and caregivers at the Clergy Home are relieved that he is back. Before being diagnosed Alzheimer's (a brain disease that causes gradual loss of memory, speech and movement), D'silva was a priest in a Vakola church. He was moved to the Clergy Home a month ago. On Saturday, he left the place when the watchman was not manning the gates. Footage of CCTV cameras installed at the building shows him dressed in a shirt and half pants, and carrying a black bag. Onlookers saw D'silva hiring an auto moments after exiting the premises. "He was carrying around very little cash, so we assumed that he would be in or around Bandra," said a priest at the home. "After his whereabouts could not be determined, we made announcements in the chapel and even put up posters." D'silva's family showed his picture at a nearby restaurant, but in vain. Finally, a missing person's complaint was filed at the Bandra police station. "The CCTV footage only showed D'silva leaving the building. It didn't reveal his direction," said Investigating Officer SM Kole, who relayed news about the former priest's disappearance and his description to the police control room. Hours later, at 9.30 pm, a patrol team of the NM Joshi Marg police spotted him roaming aimlessly in Lower Parel. Not sure if he was the man described by Kole, they took him to the police station. D'silva told cops that he got off a train at Mahalaxmi. "He, however, could not recall where he lived or who his family members were," said Sub-Inspector Shaileshkumar Ningadali. A constable found a book in D'silva's black bag, which helped establish that he was a former priest. Cops then set about contacting various churches in the city. Finally, they got in touch with the Clergy Home and his family. Mirror contacted his family members, but they refused to comment. http://www.mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?page=article§id=2&contentid=201207032012070302073995667f7f36 From: THE DISPATCH Sent: Monday, June 18, 2012 5:43 PM To: [email protected] Subject: TEMPLATE : Mental Health ((tag: mental health, mental illness, mentally ill, bipolar, schizophrenia, depression, OCD, recovery, psychosocial, psychiatry, therapy, disorder, Dementia, counselling, therapy, rehab, suicide, sanity, )) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Mental Health Advocacy (News 'N Views) India" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/MhaNewsViewsIndia?hl=en ------------- Affiliated Groups : MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY INDIA [email protected] Discussions on mental health law / policy / plan monitoring / human rights etc [email protected] India-specific news and views related to mental health [email protected] Information and support to carers of people with mental health issues [email protected] Mutual support and sharing of experiential knowledge, skills and social learning amongst peers
