Saved by a neighbour: A Connection in Action story from Martin
When a fall left Martin in need of help, a trusted neighbour made all the difference.
I was getting into the bathtub one morning, and slipped and landed on the floor, and could not get up. I lay there, naked and unable to move, on the bathroom floor for two hours.
Suddenly, I heard my next-door neighbour loading his truck. I called out his name, and eventually he heard. My house was locked. He got a ladder and climbed up to the second-floor bathroom window so we could talk. I explained how he could get into my house, and then he called for an ambulance, stayed with me until medics arrived, gathered and put some clothes, my cell phone and iPad into my knapsack for me, and locked up my house afterwards. I was not mobile enough to leave the hospital for a week.
Knowing and trusting each other already was a major help — without my neighbour, I could have been trapped on the floor of my bathroom for days! An event like this makes me appreciate life, and neighbourly connections, all the more.
Capital Region Connection in Action is a campaign to strengthen neighbourly connection, personal belonging, and community resilience.
Connection in Action is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program.